Candice Cockerham, who was 17 when she was brutally murdered in Jonesville, North Carolina, in November 2002, is the focus of the documentary, ‘Evil Lives Here: The Monster Inside Him’, airing on Investigation Discovery. The fact that abusers can have what they want and that victims of domestic violence are placed in a dangerous position due to the country’s justice and police system is demonstrated by this episode. It was necessary for the teenager to lose her life in order to pave the way for her mother to file a lawsuit against the state legislature and sue the city police for their negligence. If you want more information, including the identification of the person who committed the crime, we have you covered. So why don’t we find out, okay?
Murder of Candice Cockerham
How did Candice Cockerham die?
Candice Willina Cockerham was born on August 18, 1985 in Jonesville, Yadkin County, North Carolina. Her parents are Vernetta Cockerham and Kevin Baker. After her parents’ divorce was finalized at the age of six, she moved with her mother from Paterson, New Jersey to their old home in Jonesville. Although she was one of the few African-American students at Starmount High School in rural North Carolina, Candice was a friendly, outgoing teenager who had no trouble striking up conversations with new people and making new acquaintances quickly. . The 17-year-old, who was in her senior year at Starmount High School, expressed interest in volunteering for military service and even scheduled a meeting with an Army recruiter.
Her mother had brought her to the library on November 19, 2002, so she could prepare for an impending interview by reading books and taking notes. Separately, her body was discovered by police in the downstairs bedroom of the downtown Jonesville apartment she shared with her mother and two half-brothers on the day in question.
Thick duct tape was found covering Candice’s lips and nose, and an electrical cord that had been reinforced with another layer of duct tape was found tied across her neck. She had been severely beaten and strangled, and her hands and feet had been tied. Her jeans had been pulled down and her hands and feet were bound. According to the autopsy report, she died of asphyxiation and blunt trauma, both of which contributed to her death.
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Who Killed Candice Cockerham?
Candice’s stepfather, a carpenter named Richard Ellerbee, who had previously been Kevin’s sister’s lover in Paterson, was the person the police already knew was the murderer, so they didn’t have to tell him. to research. Vernetta and Richard started dating a few years after Richard moved to Jonesville, which happened a few years after Vernetta and Candice moved to Jonesville. However, Vernetta soon learned that Richard had rage issues and had a habit of abusing and beating her. Rashieq and Dominiq are the names of her two boys with her ex-husband, Richard. However, following Candice’s difficult labor and delivery, it was stated that Vernetta had decided that she wanted no more children.
Vernetta had taken legal action against Richard on several occasions due to his tendency to physically abuse her, but Richard was always given a pass. She had also obtained a restraining order against him after he followed her around town and showed up at her workplace in an attempt to intimidate her. However, Richard could not be arrested even after the restraining order was issued as he continued to harass Vernetta. She said Richard broke into her home and left her scary messages, as well as often called her to harass and threaten her.
According to Vernetta, Richard even dug graves in front of her house, indicating that it was for her and her children. Richard did this while still married to Vernetta. Although she filed several complaints with the authorities, Richard was never detained for a long time and was always released on bail. Vernetta, on the other hand, was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief on November 12, 2002, when he learned he would be detained on multiple charges against his name. She was shocked to learn that Candice had already started walking home when she returned to the library to pick up her daughter.
When Vernetta arrived at the residence, she was shocked to see that the door had been left slightly ajar and her ex-husband’s keys were hanging from the lock. Richard lunged at her as she rushed for the door, brandishing a knife in her hand. Before she could finally get away from Richard and head towards the Jonesville police station next to her house, he assaulted her by punching, cutting and strangling her. Vernetta received prompt medical attention from officers after collapsing outside the entrance, while others were dispatched to her residence to provide further assistance. Candice Cockerham’s body was found, but Richard was nowhere to be found.
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Is Richard Ellerbee alive?
Richard Ellerbee was last seen by a neighbor walking down the street with a paper bag, according to reports filed with police. Before driving his automobile to New Jersey from further north, Richard had stopped at a convenience store. On November 22, 2002, he was observed buying an empty gas can from a Kmart store and then filling it up at a nearby gas station.
Richard then reportedly drove to a gazebo at Eastside Park in Paterson, where he drenched himself with the can and set himself on fire, authorities claimed. Two young men witnessed the incident and informed authorities of what they had seen. When officers arrived at the scene, they discovered a burning body and later determined to be that of Richard, who was in his 40s at the time of his death.
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