By Shavonne Walker
shavonne.walker@salisburypost.com

ShaRhonda Feamster-Steele lives her life day-by-day because it’s the only way she knows. She still gets choked up when reflecting on July 8, 2014 — the day her eldest son, Marquis Feamster, was found lying in the yard of an East Fisher Street home. He’d been shot.
Her son is one of 11 unsolved murders in Rowan County in a five-year time span beginning in 2010. Marquis Feamster is the second of Feamster-Steele’s children who were shot and killed. In 2007, her daughter Treasure, 13, was shot and killed amidst gunfire while attending a birthday party.
“I miss him every single day. It doesn’t get easier by any means, but I have faith that one day his killer/killers will be caught. People need to realize that when they take a life, they are taking so many things from that person’s family,” Feamster-Steele said.
In the beginning, Feamster said she kept in touch with the detective on her son’s case. However, soon the days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months.
“They would tell me they were getting there,” Feamster-Steele said of detectives.
She believes investigators knew who killed her son, but couldn’t make an arrest for some reason.
Feamster-Steele said she believes she knows who has information about her son’s death, but the people involved fear retaliation or don’t want to be labeled a “snitch.”
Feamster-Steele said she has moments when she’s angry and thinks law enforcement can do more, but ultimately knows they need “solid evidence.”
She and the rest of her family choose to remember Marquis by talking about him often. The family frequently has dinners, cookouts or other gatherings and the talk at some point leads to Marquis.
Feamster-Steele often thinks of Marquis when she looks into the face of his daughter.
“I feel like a piece of him is here,” she said.
“Because of this senseless act of crime, a mother had to bury a second child and a daughter will grow up without a father,” Feamster-Steele said.
She’s heartbroken every time someone is “killed for no reason.”
“My heart goes out to every family that has lost someone. Hopefully, one day, we will all get the justice we are so desperately seeking,” she said.
Police Capt. Shelia Lingle said investigators don’t ever stop looking for more evidence, more witnesses, more suspects in murder cases.
“We have good suspects and good leads on several cases and we are trying to secure enough evidence to be able to charge them at this time,” Lingle said.
Lingle said investigators have witnesses call them in response to many of these cases with names and what happened.
“Even though the community has always been a big help, it takes the community,” Lingle said.
She said police have had positive responses in these unsolved murders, but in order to move forward with these cases there has to be “physical evidence or enough circumstantial evidence or witnesses to testify.”
Police Capt. Brian Stallings said investigators could always use help from the community to provide information in these unsolved murders.
“We want a resolution for the families,” Stallings said.
Lingle said anyone can come forward anonymously by phone or in person to speak with a detective.
“It takes everybody to solve these crimes,” Lingle said.
She said ultimately officers are there to determine who committed the crime, arrest that person, take the case to trial and obtain a conviction.
Lingle said these cases become personal for detectives and “you want closure for the families.”
She said investigators don’t want the families to become disheartened.
“You want to make sure you have everything to prosecute the case,” Lingle said.
“Nobody gets into this profession if they don’t want to ‘get the bad guy’ and to make a difference, ” Stallings said.
East Spencer Police Chief Sharon Hovis said when crimes linger over any length of time, especially years, there can be a different reaction from the community.
East Spencer currently has one unsolved murder that occurred just a few weeks ago.
She said the response from the East Spencer community has been overwhelmingly positive.
The incident has improved community relations with police. She said one area implemented a community watch program and the department has received numerous calls from people who’ve given anonymous tips into the murder.
“People are more observant. They are showing a genuine concern and care,” she said.
Spencer Police Detective Nick Pacilio said investigators have pursued multiple leads in the murder of Deyanira “Dee” Rios de la Cruz, their unsolved murder case.
He said a lot of times people see something that may be of help to law enforcement.
A reward of up to $8,000 has been put into place in the de la Cruz murder.

The following murders remain unsolved:
• Salisbury Police, May 23, 2010. Terry Dwayne Lark, 32, was shot at his South Clay Street home, but died later at the hospital. The incident was deemed a robbery turned homicide. Police said two people forced their way into the home and were seen leaving the area, possibly in a vehicle. Lark’s then 2-year-old son was there at the home and witnessed the incident.

• Spencer Police, November 12, 2010. Deyanira “Dee” Rios de la Cruz, 20, a clerk working at Latin Mix convenience store was shot shortly after pushing a panic button at the Spencer store. She was shot and later died at the hospital. The gunman took about $100. Rios, who’d only been working for about six months and was working a shift for another employee that day. A reward for information leading to an arrest has grown to $8,000.

• Salisbury Police, March 19, 2013. William “Billy” Henderson, 68, was stabbed multiple times, leading to his death. Police received very limited information from the community, but said he was killed inside his West Bank Street home and found by a caretaker. No forced entry was made into the house and nothing was taken. Family members said they believed it was someone who knew Henderson.

• Salisbury Police, December 7, 2013. Richard “Rick” Neri, 30, was shot multiple times and found at the intersection of Old Wilkesboro Road and Brenner Avenue. Police said someone in another car drove up beside Neri’s vehicle and shot him from their vehicle.

• Salisbury Police, June 23, 2014. Shanta Lomax, 36, was found behind an East Lafayette Street apartment complex. He’d received multiple gunshot wounds. Family and friends said he had returned to Salisbury from Alabama to visit his children. Police said at the time the shooting was not random.

• Salisbury Police, July 8, 2014. Marquis Feamster, 23, was found lying in the yard of a home at 319 E. Fisher St., but police believe he was shot elsewhere. Feamster is the older brother of 13-year-old Treasure Feamster who was struck by a stray bullet in 2007 amidst gang crossfire.

• Salisbury Police, October 11, 2014. Aaron Phillip Vaughn, 37, was shot to death at 710 Victory St. and was found dead on the living room floor by his girlfriend. Police responded to a victim with gunshot wounds.

• Salisbury Police, October 23, 2014. Antonio Chambers, was shot in an upstairs bedroom of a friend’s Colonial Village apartment at 231 West D Avenue. Police said there were others in the apartment at the time of the shooting and they have “very good leads.”
“We are actively working on this,” Stallings said.

• Salisbury Police, March 7, 2015. Miguel Angel Urrutia, 24. Witnesses said they saw someone else get out of Urrutia’s black Chrysler and get into another vehicle. Police initially believed Urrutia’s car was involved in a wreck when it was found partially in a ditch at the intersection of Old Mocksville Road near Hawkinstown Road. Investigators quickly discovered he’d been shot.

• Salisbury Police, May 18, 2015. Steven Rosario, 18, was killed at South Fulton Street apartment that belonged to his uncle. Family and friends say the former North Rowan High School student had returned to the area from Florida to enroll back at the high school.

• East Spencer Police, May 21, 2015. Kejuan Dishad Lamont Sweat, 22, was shot while sitting in a car in front of his South Long Street apartment, at the corner of West Cauble Street. His three children were also in the car, one being a 4-year-old who was also shot. Sweat drove to Novant Health Rowan Medical Center for help, but hit an exterior brick wall near the hospital.

Eight other murders have been solved by the Salisbury Police in the last five years. Eight murders were solved by the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, who do not currently have any active murder investigations.
Cooleemee Police had one murder in 2014 and made an arrest while Kannapolis Police had one murder in 2012 and the shooter involved accepted a plea earlier this year. The same year, Kannapolis Police also investigated the death of a 15-month-old, which resulted in the arrest of two people, however no trial date has been set.
China Grove Police jointly investigated a 2013 murder with the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, and an arrest was made, however no trial date has been set.
Spencer Police investigated two murders in 2014, one of which involved two deaths and the other a domestic incident. Both Spencer murders have been solved and the suspects in the double murder are awaiting trial. Spencer currently does not have any active murder investigations.
Anyone with information in any of the murders is asked to contact Salisbury-Rowan Crimestoppers at 1-866-639-5245.