Multiple crime scenes lead to 3 bodies, and all were shot by one man, NC sheriff says

A husband and wife were among the three bodies found when deputies began visiting a series of crime scenes just outside Greenville, North Carolina, investigators say.

The third victim is a retired East Carolina University professor, the university confirmed to McClatchy News.

The killings have been linked to a single suspect, and he remains in custody without bond, the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office said in a Jan. 11 news release.

Deputies began finding the bodies Friday, Jan. 10, as they searched four crime scenes near Greenville, about an 85-mile drive east from Raleigh. All had been shot, officials said.

“A person of interest was detained and ultimately taken into custody at one of the scenes,” the sheriff’s office says. “Preliminary evidence reveals the incidents are related.”

Among the dead are Anthony Gribble, 80, and his wife Paula Gribble, 76, who were found at 2137 Peace Ridge Court. The third victim, 64-year-old Enrique Reyes, was found at 1458 Forest Acres Drive, officials said.

The two homes are about 4.5 miles from each other, maps show.

Reyes was reportedly found “lying in the driveway” by a passerby, according to WCTI.

East Carolina University reports he served as a professor with the Department of Biology from 2005 until his retirement in September 2022.

The suspect, 55-year-old David Lever, lives in the 1500 block of Forest Acres Drive, the sheriff’s office said. Lever faces “three open counts of murder,” officials said.

He was captured by the son of the Gribbles, and was being held at gunpoint when deputies arrived at the home, WCTI reports.

Lever is a real estate broker and “partner in Lever & Russel Real Estate LLC of Greenville,” Reflector.com reports.

Investigators have not released a motive and have not said if the suspect and victims were known to each other.

This story was originally published January 12, 2025 at 6:17 AM with the headline "Multiple crime scenes lead to 3 bodies, and all were shot by one man, NC sheriff says."