A North Carolina man has been indicted on murder charges following a grisly discovery in Johnston County last month.
According to ABC 11, a Johnston County grand jury indicted Wellington Dickens III, 38, on four counts of murder Monday.
The indictment followed an October 27 incident in which Dickens called 911. During a nearly 7-minute call, he told a dispatcher that his four biological children and teen stepson were dead in the trunk of a car in the garage, as CrimeOnline previously reported.
Police found his 3-year-old son alive inside a residence on Springtooth Drive in Zebulon. After finding the victims in the trunk, investigators noted that the bodies “had been there for a long period of time.”
The victims, according to The News & Observer, have been identified as:
- Leah Dickens, 6
- Zoe Dickens, 9
- Wellington Dickens IV, 10
- Sean Brasfield, 18
The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office said that the killings happened over a span of months. Leah died in May, followed by Zoe in August, Wellington in August or September, and Sean in September.
Sheriff’s Capt. Don Pate said that responding deputies detected an “obvious of decay” odor upon arriving at the home. The deputies also found evidence that someone tried to clean up a crime scene.
Pate added that the children were homeschooled and not allowed visitation with extended family members.
“I never would have thought this would happen,” Sean Brasfield’s father told WTVD. “I know there are a lot of eyes on Sean but there are three other innocent children who died.”
The father said his son had had cerebral palsy and could only see out of one eye.
Online court records indicated that Sean’s mother, Stephanie Rae Jones Dickens, passed away in 2024. She reportedly died of natural causes, following excessive bleeding and complications with a miscarriage.
Sean’s father reportedly said that once Stephanie started dating the defendant over a decade ago, he was cut off from spending time with his son. He told WTVD that he last saw Sean in 2014.
In August 2025, following Stephanie’s death, Sean’s father and the defendant spoke briefly on Facebook. Dickens reportedly asked for help with Sean, but “nothing” happened after the conversation.
The motive for the murders is unclear. The state medical examiner is conducting autopsies to determine how the children died.
Dickens is being held without bond at the Johnston County Jail.
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[Feature Photo via Johnson County SO]
