Cary man convicted of wife’s murder dies in custody of NC prison system
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- Myron Britt, 71, dies after hospital transfer from Nash Correctional; suicide suspected.
- Britt was sentenced in 2009 to life without parole for a 2003 first‑degree murder.
- Joint SBI and state medical examiner probe, plus NC Dept. of Adult Correction inquiry.
A man convicted of shooting and killing his wife more than 15 years ago has died at Nash Correctional Institution in an apparent suicide.
Myron Britt, 71, of Cary, was found unresponsive in his cell early Sunday morning, according to the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction.
Staff at the state prison in Nashville, about 45 miles northeast of Raleigh, tried to save his life and emergency medical services took him to a nearby medical facility, the agency said. But he died there around 3 p.m. Sunday. The department said suicide is suspected.
Britt was convicted of first-degree murder for the 2003 death of his wife, Nancy Britt, who was a Wake County teacher.
Myron Britt was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 2009.
Two investigations into Britt’s death are ongoing: one by the correction department, as well as a joint investigation by the State Bureau of Investigation and the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
The medical examiner’s office will determine a cause of death, according to prisons communication director Brad Deen of the Department of Adult Correction.
Deen told The News & Observer that he couldn’t speak to why Britt’s death was labeled an apparent suicide because of the ongoing investigations.
Hannah Jones, a press assistant for the state Department of Health and Human Services, wrote in an email on Tuesday that every death investigation the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner conducts “has its own unique set of facts and circumstances.”
She wrote that the timeline for investigations can vary, and there is no typical timeframe for when reports are completed.
2011 appeal denied
Britt appealed his conviction in 2011, according to court records. The original conviction was upheld by the North Carolina Court of Appeals.
The appeal argued that the trial court wrongly allowed prosecutors to present evidence of Britt’s finances, which was used to indicate that his personal financial situation was “dire,” court records say.
Court records show Britt took out $815,000 in life insurance policies on Nancy Britt’s life, which included a $400,000 policy taken out within four months of her death. Britt was named the beneficiary of the policies.
Britt had his own business called Britt Home Builders. His defense had a financial analyst provide evidence that the business was viable, and said Britt and his wife had sufficient income.
Court records say Nancy Britt had two sisters in Lumberton, one of whom, Donna Madrey, required full-time care due to physical disabilities.
Nancy Britt was caring for Madrey on Aug. 23, 2003, when she was shot one time in the abdomen. Lumberton Police officers found no evidence of forced entry and “the contents of the house did not appear to have been disturbed,” court records say.
Britt’s appeal also argued that the court wrongly included expert testimony regarding the bullet from Nancy Britt’s body and a bullet found at Britt’s mother’s house.
