Charlotte man pleads guilty to 2011 killing of family

A Charlotte man will spend the rest of his life in prison for his role in the 2011 killing of a family during a robbery attempt.

Linny Barcliff pleaded guilty Thursday to two counts of first-degree murder in the killings of Lorenzo and Cheryl Graves.

The Graveses were found shot to death in front of their downstairs TV. They’d been shot in the head, according to court documents. The body of their 4-year-old daughter, Oznola, was found near her parents’ bed. She had been stabbed to death, relatives told the Observer.

Barcliff admitted in court that he killed Lorenzo and Cheryl Graves but denied that he killed Oznola.

Barcliff’s co-defendants, Lorenzo White and Joe Amous, have pleaded guilty for their roles in the crime. White will spend 25 to 31 years in prison. Amous will spend 15 to 20 years in prison.

Barcliff and White planned to rob Lorenzo Graves of drugs, money and guns, according to court documents. Amous told investigators that the girl and her parents were killed to get rid of witnesses.

Amous told investigators that he met with Barcliff and White on Aug. 21, 2011, and the trio decided to carry out their plan that night. Amous said they talked about the possibility of having to shoot Lorenzo Graves because he had a gun, according to the documents.

Barcliff went to the Graveses’ apartment alone, Amous said, under the pretext of buying drugs from Lorenzo Graves, the documents say. Barcliff later called White to tell him it was clear to come to the apartment. Amous told investigators that’s when Barcliff said he had killed the family, the court documents reveal. Amous said that Barcliff told them after the killings that “he doesn’t leave any witnesses.”

Barcliff was scheduled for a death penalty trial beginning in July.

“After consulting with the victims’ family members, prosecutors allowed him to enter guilty pleas to ensure a conviction that will prevent Barcliff from ever harming anyone in the community again and spare the family from reliving their loved ones’ deaths at trial,” the Mecklenburg District Attorney’s Office said.

This story was originally published May 14, 2015 at 7:14 PM with the headline "Charlotte man pleads guilty to 2011 killing of family."