Death penalty sought in Hickory double homicide

Prosecutors said they will seek the death penalty against a Granite Falls man accused of killing two people outside a McDonald’s on U.S. 321 in Hickory.

Eric Terril Yount, 22, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of McDonald’s manager trainee Richelle Scott Lail, 22, of Hudson, and McDonald’s assistant manager Cody William Watts, 28, of Hickory.

Police responded to a report of a domestic disturbance in the parking lot of the restaurant at about 6 p.m. March 2 and found Lail on the ground with gunshot wounds. Officers found Watts sitting in a vehicle also suffering from gunshot wounds. He died two days later at a hospital.

Lail and Watts were in the parking lot when Yount arrived, rammed Watts’ truck with his sports utility vehicle and began arguing with Lail, prosecutors said.

Authorities have not disclosed what the argument was about or the relationship between the three people.

Yount’s next court date is scheduled for July 11. Hickory lawyer Victoria Jayne has been appointed to represent Yount.

Fifteen family-owned McDonald’s restaurants in the area raised more than $22,000 through in-store fundraisers for the victims’ families.

The donations also will enable the Hickory McDonald’s to plant two trees in honor and memory of Lail and Watts, a McDonald’s spokeswoman said.

This story was originally published April 23, 2016 at 3:38 PM with the headline "Death penalty sought in Hickory double homicide."