Spring Lake man arrested in Virginia and charged in the fatal stabbing of his girlfriend

A man wanted in the fatal stabbing of his girlfriend in March was booked into the Cumberland County jail last week in the slaying, according to the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office.

William Lawrence Lee Jr., 61, of Spring Lake, is charged with first-degree murder, assault on a female and assault with a deadly weapon in the March 16 death of Beverly Sabrina Williams, 50.

The stabbing happened about 3:30 a.m. Saturday at a home the couple shared on Atomic Drive, said Sgt. Mickey Locklear. The house off Spring Avenue has a Spring Lake postal address but is in the county’s jurisdiction, Locklear said.

Related: Son of Spring Lake homicide victim scared off killer Saturday morning

Williams' son told a 911 dispatcher that he was awoken by the knife attack and rushed to his mother's aid.

"I’m all the way 'sleep and I guess he ... stabbed her with a knife, and I jumped out of my sleep to, you know, protect her and he just took off running when I got up," the son said. "I need somebody out here."

The dispatch log indicates that Williams had heavy blood loss from stab wounds to her forearm, shoulder and chest. Williams' son said he called 911 immediately after pulling the assailant off his mother.

She died the following day from her injuries.

Lee was arrested May 30 in Suffolk County, Virginia, Virginia court records show. He was booked into the Cumberland County jail about 3 p.m. Friday and is being held on $850,000 bail, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Public safety reporter Joseph Pierre can be reached at jpierre@gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Spring Lake man arrested in Virginia and charged in the fatal stabbing of his girlfriend