On December 22, 2021 a grand jury indicted Sessoms on the charge of first-degree murder. A North Carolina man may face the death penalty if he is convicted in the deadly shooting of a neighbors 5-year-old son in 2020. . Emailus. ODM3ODhkZWMzNjQzNWRhNjMyNjlkN2MzNmU2YTA1OGVjZDY1MDgzOTRkYTk4 Cannon Hinnant was fatally shot outside of his North Carolina home last Sunday. A sweet and truly innocent life taken. US Capitol February 27, 2023 . Austin Hinnant, Cannons father, has repeatedly said there was no bad blood between him and Sessoms. On Monday, the town mayor paid tribute to Cannon and said his heart broke after revealing he had a five-year-old child as well. She testified that she had never before seen him act violent in any way. Praying for the peace and comfort that only Jesus can provide. Darius Sessoms has been sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole for the murder of five year old Cannon Hinnant. The boy was rushed to the hospital, but he could not be saved. Neighbour Darius Sessoms, 25, has been arrested and is accused of pulling the trigger on the little boy at around 5.30pm. ZmE0OWMwNWM2ZDk5YzMxODI1N2JmNzczNGI5ODRiM2RjNDQ2OTg3Zjc5ZGFi Witness Doris Lybrand said Sessoms ran up to Cannon in the yard over the weekend and put the gun to his head. Darius Sessoms, who is Black, has been charged in the fatal shooting of 5-year-old Cannon Hinnant on Aug. 9, 2020, according to police statements. what a sweet little boy, who will never enjoy life. Wilson County District Court Judge John Britt read Sessoms his rights and the charge he is facing. Sessoms on charges of first-degree murder and possession of a firearm in connection with the childs death in December 2021. The family who have long-called for Sessoms to face the death penalty welcomed the judges ruling this week. Doris Lybrand witnessed the shooting. Help me save my son, please.'". MWQ4Zjk4MzI1NTYyMDIwYWFmNmRmZDQwODViYWE3ZWNlNmNkYmI5N2JlZDcz Cannon Hinnant, five, was shot while riding his bike at home in Wilson, North Carolina, on Sunday evening. Y2RjZmMzNDY4N2Q4OTljZDkwZWUyNDcyMTRkMDU2YzY2Njg2YmExN2VkMjA2 Alex Murdaugh sentenced to two consecutive life sentences for murdering wife and son Day 27, Carpenter who sealed Alex Murdaughs fate breaks silence, reveals just how quickly holdout jurors changed their mindsand why, Im not playing games with you: Judge questions whether accused murderer acting as his own attorney is a wise move. He was my neighbor for years, Hinnants mother Bonny Waddell told WDBJ7. Pass this along. Learn how your comment data is processed. Sessoms parents said they believe their son was on drugs and having hallucinations at the time of the shooting, according to Fox 6. Superior Court Judge L. Lamont Wiggins on Thursday ruled that the states case against Darius N. Sessoms for the murder of Cannon Hinnant is eligible to proceed as a capital punishment case, Goldsboro CBS affiliate WNCN reported. In April 2016, he was convicted of misdemeanor maintaining a place for a controlled substance, and felony marijuana possession in November 2016. Investigators quickly identified Sessoms, who lived right next door to Austin Hinnant, as the primary person of interest and WPD detectives took him into custody at a home in Goldsboro one day after the fatal shooting with the help of the U.S. No reason was given for why Darius Sessoms would commit such a horrific act. No child should ever have their future stolen from them.. Cannon had just gone to church with his dad and sisters that Sunday. prayers are with you, wrote one woman on the GoFundMe page. The state has previously characterized the boys killing as particularly heinous. The state has previously characterized the boys killing as particularly heinous. Per The Wilson Times, Sessoms was convicted in March 2016 of felony larceny of firearms. According to National File, the 'justice for Darius Sessoms' page was likely started by an anti-Black Lives Matter troll, but the group soon garnered almost 20,000 members and became a forum for posts from BLM . Chinese spy balloon shot down by F-22 fighter off Video / Feb 4, 2023 / 07:32 PM EST. The murder was witnessed by his sisters, aged 7 and 8. Little Cannon was riding a bicycle in front of his father's home. Two GoFundMe pages have been set up for Cannons family, one by the boys fathers cousin, Christina Prezioso and another by Gwen Hinnant, who claims to be Cannon's grandmother. Sessoms is in the custody of the Wilson County Sheriffs Department, according to online records. Sessoms allegedly shot and killedCannon on on Aug. 9, 2020, as the little boy rode his bicycle in front of his own fathers residence on Archers Road in Wilson about 40 miles east of Raleigh according to Washington, North Carolina television station WITN-TV. Photo: Cannon was described as just a loving kid after his shooting death over the weekend. WILSON COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) -- The man arrested in the murder of 5-year-old Cannon Hinnant in August of 2020 pleaded guilty Thursday morning. California WILSON, N.C. (WITN) - A Wilson man gets life without parole for killing a 5-year-old neighbor who was riding his bicycle back in 2020. Killer Motive: What Drives People To Kill? The accused killer is Darius Sessoms. Tragically, the victim succumbed to their injuries. 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In October 2022, the death penalty became an option for him as a judge ruled to try the case as a capital murder trial. ZjQwZjBhNTkxYmJkYmZkMmIzZTY0MmYyODU1ZjE1OWNjZTFiZjBjNDU3MGZl During this weeks court proceedings, witnesses including neighbors testified about the moments leading up to the shooting as well as its aftermath. WATCH | 'He meant the world to me': Family, friends honor life of Cannon Hinnant, Ukrainian doctors train and learn in Triangle for week, How Paul Murdaugh helped solve his own murder, NC mom finally gets refund from Southwest Airlines holiday meltdown. On Wednesday, a neighbor told the court she saw Sessoms dash into Cannon Hinnant's yard and put a pistol to the boys head. Police later identified the suspect as Sessoms and the victim as Cannon Hinnant. All Rights Reserved. Fox News television host Nancy Grace predicts Sessoms will receive the death penalty for his crime. Since the fatal shooting #sayhisname Cannon Hinnant started trending on Twitter with people outraged at his untimely death. She said Cannon had just learned how to write his name before he was supposed to head off for his first day of school on Monday. The family reportedly knew Sessoms for many years. He was 28 years old when he agreed to an Alford plea on December 29, 2022 in the first-degree murder of Cannon. Ohio AWilson County judge ruled on Thursday that prosecutors could proceed in seeking the death penalty against Darius Sessoms, 25, who allegedly shot Cannon Hinnant, 5, in the head as the youngster rode his bicycle in 2020. A Wilson County grand jury indicted Darius Sessoms on a charge of first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Cannon Hinnant, a 5-year-old killed last year while sitting on his bike in . Porch lights on all across America every night until justice is served. Rachel Pipkin, a cousin of Cannons mum, told CBS: We used to play together and I never thought hed kill someone. for their assistance in apprehending Sessoms.. On September 22 nd, a second arrest was made in connection with the case with authorities charging Aolani Takemi Marie Pettit with felony accessory after the fact. Darius threw in some words of wisdom for JuJu at the end of his interview with The Volume Sports. "You don't expect to see somebody shoot someone," she told WRAL. For a second, I thought, That couldnt happen. People dont run across the street and kill kids.. At the time, the boy was playing with his sisters, who were born in 2012 and 2013. Darius N. Sessoms, 25, entered an Alford plea on Thursday in Cannon Hinnant 's shooting death, according to WRAL. Darius Sessoms is accused of shooting his 5-year-old neighbor,Cannon Hinnant, point blank in the head as the child rode a bicycle outside his own home in August 2020. We do not surrender that right because others believe it is morally just for us to do so. Sessoms then allegedly shot the boy while Cannons sisters, ages seven and eight, watched. The day after the tragic killing, police arrested 25-year-old Darius Sessoms for the child's murder, alleging that Sessoms walked up to the boy and shot him devoid of any provocation. Michigan Police have charged a 25-year-old man with first-degree murder after they say he shot and killed a 5-year-old boy last week in Wilson, North Carolina. If you believe Wordfence should be allowing you access to this site, please let them know using the steps below so they can investigate why this is happening. Or to keep it anonymous, click here. He is a felon who has served multiple prison sentences, the CBS17 journalist said on the air. Doris Lybrand, one of Cannon's neighbors, told WRAL that Sessoms simply ran across the street with a shotgun and shot the 5-year-old boy in the head. Darius N. Sessoms, 25, allegedly shot and killed 5-year-old Cannon Hinnant in Wilson, North Carolina. She reportedly said she then saw a burst of flame followed by the boy collapsing. WRAL reported that Sessoms lived with his parents and that Austin Hinnant, who has lived next door for eight years, has no idea why his son was killed. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Darius N. Sessoms, who allegedly shot his neighbor's young son in the head while he was riding his bike. The Justice for Darius Sessoms Facebook page was taken down after attracting tens of thousands of members. In such a plea, a defendant doesn't acknowledge guilt but . Wilson police ID 5-year-old shot to death Sunday, suspect on the run. Assistant District Attorney Joel Stadiem reportedly argued that the evidence shown to Judge Wiggins in private illustrated that Sessoms showed unusual depravity of the mind. He reportedly added that there was no precedent for a case where a defendant has walked over to a 5-year-old playing in his own yard and walked up to that child and intentionally shot this child in the head.. "He was just a loving kid," mom Bonny Waddell told The Wilson Times. YTlhNTk1MTFhNDhjZWExNzdjODhjMGQwYWYyOTNmNjYxZGViZDNhMTljYjY2 Authorities still have not disclosed a possible motive. MDM4YmMxNWZiOWI5YTM2Y2NjYWRiNjllNjZkZjhiN2MzMzFhYTE0ZWQzZDNi A neighbortold WRALthat Sessoms and Cannon's fathereven had dinner together. No one should ever have to bury their child. NationalFile report: The group's opening statement read: " Darius Sessoms has been accused of a heinous act that he didn't commit. Darius Sessoms is a North Carolina native who is accused of shooting five-year-old Cannon Hinnant at point-blank range while he played in his father's front yard. Sessoms allegedly shot and killed Cannon on on Aug. 9, 2020, as the little boy rode his bicycle in front of his own father's residence on Archers Road in Wilson about 40 miles east of Raleigh according to Washington, North Carolina television station WITN-TV.