North Carolina double murder: Juvenile suspect accused of killing 2 teens arrested

North Carolina officials have arrested the 17-year-old suspect accused of murdering teenagers Devin Clark and Lyric Woods on Sept. 17.

Clark, 18, and Woods, 14, were found shot to death off Buckhorn Road in a rural area of Mebane that afternoon. Their families had reported them missing after they last saw the pair, who were friends, on the night of Sept. 16.

“We hope this apprehension provides some relief to the families and friends of Devin and Lyric, who have experienced an excruciating loss. Obviously, the capture of the suspect does not restore their loved one to them. The grieving process is a long one, and we hope the community will continue to support them in their pain,” Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood said in a Wednesday statement.

Orange County officials cannot release any further information, such as the suspect’s name, under North Carolina law for juvenile crime suspects.

NORTH CAROLINA DOUBLE MURDER: AUTHORITIES HUNTING FOR SUSPECT ACCUSED OF KILLING DEVIN CLARK, LYRIC WOODS

“Not only does the relevant statute prohibit the release of the juvenile’s name, but also extends to the release of details such as who apprehended the individual, as well as when and where the apprehension took place,” Blackwood said. “We understand our community is hungry for information to help process this tragedy; however, the laws regarding juvenile confidentiality are ironclad. We have no ability to set them aside, even given the heightened interest in this case.”

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It is unclear how long the juvenile suspect evaded police.

The sheriff’s office said last month that it had filed a petition to charge the juvenile suspect with two counts of first-degree murder in Clark’s and Woods’ shooting deaths. 

Clark was a junior at East Alamance High School in Mebane, where he played football. Woods was a freshman at Cedar Ridge High School in Hillsborough.

  

It is unclear what the pair were doing together when they disappeared on Friday or how they were shot dead by the afternoon of Sept. 17.

Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact Orange County Investigator Keith Goodwin at 919-245-2918.