A father’s murder confession raised questions about his past. Here’s what we know

Wellington Dickens III confessed to killing four of his children during a call to a 911 operator in late October. The confession prompted The News & Observer to find out what else the 39-year-old father has been charged with over the years.

Dickens is charged with murder in the deaths of 6-year-old Leah Dickens, 9-year-old Zoe Dickens, 10-year-old Wellington Dickens IV, and his 18-year-old stepson, Sean Brasfield.

The killings happened over a span of four months, according to the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office. The children’s remains were found in the trunk of a car in Dickens’ garage in Zebulon.

Except for a 2015 misdemeanor child abuse charge that was dismissed and a 2016 resisting a public officer charge for which The N&O found no details in online court records, Dickens appeared to have no arrests for violent offenses in his criminal history.

He’s been charged five times with speeding and driving with a revoked license and was arrested or cited more than a dozen times from 2014 to 2017, according to public records.

Among the criminal charges:

• On July 1, 2014, Dickens was arrested in Wake County on charges of speeding and driving with a revoked license, according to the Wake County Sheriff’s Office and public court records
• In March 2015, Dickens was arrested in Durham County and remained in jail for two days on a child support charge, according to the Durham County Sheriff’s Office
• On May 29, 2015, Dickens was arrested on charges of speeding and driving with a revoked license in Wake County.
• On Sept. 3, 2015, Dickens was charged with misdemeanor child abuse in Wake County. The case was dismissed the next year with attorneys citing that no victim was present
• Dickens was arrested again on charges of speeding and driving with a revoked license on Oct. 7, 2015

In 2016, Dickens’ oldest daughter, Zoe, was born. Hospital staff were concerned at the time that she was jaundiced — a condition that can cause the skin to turn yellow due to a buildup of bilirubin in the blood.

Dickens refused medical services because of “religious and spiritual beliefs, according to a federal complaint he filed against WakeMed and Wake County, The N&O previously reported.

After a failed attempt by Wake County Child Welfare workers in 2016 to check on Zoe at the Dickenses’ home, they returned with two Raleigh police officers, Dickens wrote in the complaint. He didn’t allow them into the home.

The altercation led to Dickens’ arrest on Oct. 31, 2016 on a charge of contempt, according to court records. He was released from jail after his wife took Zoe to a county health clinic, according to his complaint, The N&O previously reported.

Other arrests and citations:

• On Dec. 29, 2010, Dickens received a citation for reckless driving and speeding
• On Sept. 1, 2016, Dickens received a citation for speeding and driving with a revoked license
• On Nov. 7, 2016, Dickens received a citation for speeding and driving with a revoked license
• On Nov. 7, 2016, Dickens was arrested for resisting a public officer in Wake County.
• On Jan. 3, 2017, Dickens was arrested on charges of criminal contempt, according to the Wake County Sheriff’s Office
• On Jan. 30, 2017, Dickens was arrested on a “failure to appear” charge and processed at the Wake County Detention Center, according to the Wake County Sheriff’s Office
• On June 5, 2017, Dickens was arrested and held in jail for 91 days on a child support charge

Dickens appeared in court in late October on the murder charges and is slated to have another hearing in mid-November.

Lexi Solomon contributed to this report.

This story was originally published November 3, 2025 at 3:34 PM.

Nathan Collins

The News & Observer

Nathan Collins is an investigative reporter at The News & Observer. He started his career in public radio where he earned statewide recognition for his accountability reporting in Dallas, Texas. Collins is a Pulitzer Prize finalist and a former professional musician.