GUILTY NC - Alton 'Corey' Vann, 20, murdered, Wilmington, 29 Jan 2009

Larry Karl Gonzales, 52, has been indicted on a charge of first-degree murder by a county grand jury in the Jan. 29, 2009, shooting death of Alton Corey Vann, David said. Gonzales was arrested in Harris County, Texas, Sheriff Ed McMahon said.

A passing driver spotted Vann's body about 12:30 a.m. along River Road between Sanders Drive and Independence Boulevard. He'd been shot in the head and his hands were in his pockets.

Not far from Vann's body, deputies found a blue sleeve, called a reducer, which enables a flare gun to fire shotgun pellets. The sleeve still had a shell casing lodged inside, according to an affidavit in support of a search warrant for the Brookview home Vann shared with Gonzales... Gonzales told police he owned a flare gun and that it had been stolen from his home days earlier. He had not reported the theft.

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Vann's cell phone was found 1.9 miles from his body and included a text message sent from Vann to Gonzales late on the night of Jan. 28 saying his car had broken down. Gonzales reportedly called Vann and said he would pick him up, according to the search warrant. When questioned by investigators, Gonzales said when he went to pick Vann up, Vann wasn't at the car dealership on Carolina Beach Road where the two planned to meet, according to the warrant.

Detectives located Vann's Jeep at the home the two men shared. The warrant also states Gonzales was the beneficiary of a $20,000 life insurance policy Vann had taken out weeks before his murder.

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The former roommate of a man found dead on River Road in 2009 was brought from Texas to Wilmington on Friday to face charges in the killing.

Larry Karl Gonzales, 52, is charged with first-degree murder in the Jan. 29, 2009, shooting death of Alton Corey Vann.

Gonzales made his first appearance in New Hanover County Superior Court on Monday morning. He was advised of the charge against him and informed it is punishable by either life in prison without parole or death.

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Larry Karl Gonzales, 53, pleaded guilty Wednesday in New Hanover County Superior Court to a charge of voluntary manslaughter, a reduced charge from the original first-degree murder he’d faced...

Superior Court Judge Phyllis Gorham sentenced Gonzales to 46-65 months in the N.C. Department of Corrections with credit for time served in jail since his arrest on the murder charge in Tomball, Texas in September 2014.

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