NC father killed his 4 children over four months, Johnston County sheriff says
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4 children killed in Johnston County
A man in Zebulon, NC, is charged with four counts of murder after he confessed to killing four of his children, the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office said Oct. 28, 2025. Here is ongoing coverage.
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A Zebulon man charged in the deaths of four of his children allegedly killed them in separate incidents over a period of four months, officials said Wednesday.
Wellington Delano Dickens III, 38, faces four charges of murder in the deaths of 6-year-old Leah Dickens, 9-year-old Zoe Dickens, 10-year-old Wellington Dickens IV and 18-year-old Sean Brasfield, his stepson.
The children’s bodies were discovered Monday night at Dickens’ home after he called 911 shortly after 10 p.m. to confess to killing them, the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office said. Zebulon, which lies partly in Johnston County, is about 24 miles east of Raleigh, mostly in eastern Wake County.
Leah Dickens appeared to have been killed first, with her death estimated to have occurred in May, while 9-year-old Zoe was killed in August, Sheriff Steve Bizzell said Wednesday during a news conference. Ten-year-old Wellington’s death came next, in “late August or early September,” with 18-year-old Sean dying “sometime in September,” Bizzell said.
Officials didn’t say how the children were killed or how they estimated their times of death. All four were apparently homeschooled, though The News & Observer could not find any records of a homeschool administrator operating under Dickens’ or his late wife’s names in state records Wednesday.
Dickens’ 3-year-old son was found unharmed in the home and is now in the custody of the Johnston County Department of Social Services, according to Bizzell.
Investigators don’t have any indication of a potential motive in the children’s killings, Bizzell said.
Dickens’ wife and the children’s mother, Stephanie Rae Jones Dickens, died at age 37 on April 21, 2024, The N&O previously reported. Sheriff’s deputies were called to the home that day after Wellington Dickens III found her body; doctors found she’d died from complications of a miscarriage, Bizzell said.
Stephanie Dickens was about three months pregnant and had experienced “excessive bleeding” the night before her death, but wouldn’t seek medical care, according to Bizzell. Her death was ruled an accident, and detectives have no plans to exhume her remains as a part of the murder investigation, he said.
It’s not yet clear why Wellington Dickens III called 911 on Monday, but Bizzell speculated “something got to him,” prompting him to turn himself in.
“The loss we face is unimaginable,” said Johnston County District Attorney Jason Waller. “The responsibility before us is great.”
Extended family members hadn’t been allowed to see the children, and neighbors didn’t typically see much activity at the home, Bizzell said.
There was evidence that someone attempted to clean up an apparent crime scene inside the house, according to Investigator Don Pate. An “obvious” odor of decay was present at the home, Pate said.
Brasfield’s father is in the military, and investigators are still working to obtain records related to Dickens’ relationship with his stepson, according to the sheriff’s office.
Bizzell said the investigation is ongoing, with more charges possible.
He described the crime scene as “tough” on his investigators, many of whom have young children of their own.
“To do what I witnessed yesterday, yes, that is what we do, and yes, that’s what we get paid to do,” he said. “But folks we are human too.”
“I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night,” he added. “I talked to several of the detectives this morning, and they didn’t either.”
This story was originally published October 29, 2025 at 10:43 AM.
