Woman pleads guilty to stealing from neighbor's dead one year old boy | Crime

SALISBURY - A woman accused of stealing items belonging to a little boy who had drowned just days before pleaded guilty in court on Friday.

"I just wish I could get through my head why somebody who has children could do this to somebody else whose child just passed away," said Jessica Kepley, the mother of one year old Parker Munn. "I feel sorry for them, I feel sorry they could do that to somebody."

Jessica Williams, 26, was charged, along with her boyfriend Bobby Milam, in September, charged with stealing the belongings of Parker James Lee Munn while Munn's family was attending his funeral.

Williams accepted an Alford Plea on the charges of obtaining property by false pretense, burning personal property, and breaking and entering.  An Alford Plea means the defendant does not admit to the crime, but acknowledges there is evidence that could lead to a guilty verdict.

Williams was sentenced to an active prison term of at least six months.  She has been in jail for 168 days, and will get credit for that time served, meaning she will spend another two months behind bars.  She was also sentenced to three years probation and ordered not to have any contact with the Kepley family or her former boyfriend and co defendant Bobby Milam.  In addition, she was ordered to repay Kepley a little more than $3000 for items taken from the little boy's room, and another $5000 in restitution.

"I wish she would have got more time but there's nothing we can do considering she's got no background, so, I guess she got the best she could , the worst she could, I should say."

Munn wandered away from his home on September 11 and drowned in a small decorative pond in the yard of a neighbor. Milam actually performed CPR on the child prior to the arrival of EMS, according to family members.

Milam and Williams are accused of taking items, including the 1-year-old’s birth certificate book, a picture frame and an angel ornament. The ornament had hung on the wall of the child’s room.

Other items like jewelry and electronics were found at a pawn shop and inside the mobile home shared by Williams and Milam.

"The things that they took I'll never be able to replace.  His first Bible, all of that, I'll never be able to replace that stuff and that stuff meant a lot to me," Kepley told WBTV.

Investigators with the Rowan Sheriff's Office say Milam and Williams placed those items in a pile and burned them behind their home.

A surprising statement was read in court on Friday by assistant District Attorney Tim Gould, claiming that Milam held Kepley and her family responsible for the child's death and they he was going "To make them lose everything."  The statement came from a confidential informant, according to Gould.

In November Milam appeared in court on charges of felony breaking and entering, felony larceny, felony obtaining property by false pretense and felony arson. Milam waived his right to a probable cause hearing. Williams’ case was continued, and she did not appear in court. Milam's case was turned over to Superior Court.

Many of Parker James Lee Munn's family members were in court that day, and were disappointed that the case was not resolved. Most of those family members were back in court for Friday's case and were wearing green and gold ribbons that featured a small black and white picture of Munn.