Man charged with killing his father had texted photos of the body to co-worker

A 33-year-old man charged with murder last week sent text messages to his co-workers talking about killing his father, then sent photos of a man lying face down in blood, according to recently released court documents.

Chivalry Moore of Kinston, who was shot by a deputy during a standoff in Durham on Tuesday, was arrested Saturday on a murder charge, according to the Durham County Sheriff’s Office. The arrest came after Moore was released from the hospital.

The sheriff’s office said deputies were called to 5706 Tomahawk Trail just before 6 p.m. Tuesday for a “welfare check.”

Moore had barricaded himself inside the home, and deputies entered after a roughly five-hour standoff. Moore suffered non-life-threatening injuries as a result of being shot.

A recently released search warrant indicates that at 5:48 p.m. Tuesday, the sheriff’s office had received a 911 call from a supervisor at UPS. Another employee had come to the supervisor and shown her a picture from Moore.

“The photo Moore sent was of what appears to be a deceased person who has already started the stages of decomposition and appears to have multiple sharp force injuries,” the Durham sheriff’s office warrant states.

When deputies arrived at the home, which was owned by Moore’s father, they found all the doors and windows were locked and the shades were drawn, the warrant states.

Deputies spoke with a neighbor, who said something was “weird and off,” because the son had been driving his father’s vehicle, the warrant states.

After looking at the flooring in the photo sent from the UPS worker, deputies were able to tell that it matched the flooring in the house.

At some points, deputies announced their presence, the warrant states, and loud music started playing from the upstairs and a light emitted from a window.

Deputies backed away from the home, and secured the perimeter, the warrant states.

Later, when deputies entered the home, they found the body of 60-year-old Willie Moore, the sheriff’s office said Thursday.

Deputy David Bermel, who shot Chivalry Moore, was placed on paid leave, which is standard practice after an officer-involved shooting. Bermel has been with the Durham County Sheriff’s Office since 2013, according to a news release Sunday.

The State Bureau of Investigation is looking into the shooting.

Chivalry Moore is being held in the Durham County jail without bond.

This story was originally published January 14, 2019 at 10:14 AM with the headline "Man charged with killing his father had texted photos of the body to co-worker."