Three members of a Lillington family were shot at a home on Kentucky Derby Lane in the Trotter’s Ridge neighborhood on the evening of August 12, 2025. Deputies were called just after 5:15 p.m. after a 10-year-old inside the house dialed 911. At the scene, Danny Richards, 57, and his wife, Sabrina Richards, 54, were found fatally wounded. Clara Richards, 74, was critically injured, taken to the hospital, and later died of her wounds.

Investigators quickly focused on a teenage relative who had been living with the family. The 15-year-old left the scene in a family truck that was later found abandoned near N.C. 87 and Nursery Road by Spring Lake. Deputies located the teen in nearby woods around 11 p.m. and took him into custody. Officials have not released the juvenile’s name. Early reports listed two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder; after Clara Richards died, authorities moved to pursue three first-degree murder charges and local outlets reported the juvenile was charged with three counts of first-degree murder. No motive has been released.

The family had been gathered for a birthday celebration for Sabrina, and mourners described the killings as an unimaginable breach of safety in a home known for service and church involvement. Did anyone in the Trotter’s Ridge area see or hear anything that night that could help investigators?