JOHNSTON COUNTY, N.C. — Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell said Tuesday that Wellington Delano Dickens III, who is charged with killing three of his children and a stepson, committed the crimes over a period of months. Remains of the four children were found Monday in the trunk of a car at the Dickens home on Springtooth Drive in Zebulon. Dickens had called 911 to report that he had killed the children.

Dickens, 38, is charged with four counts of murder. On Tuesday, Bizzell laid out the timeline of the deaths, which he said was based on investigation and interviews.

Investigators have determined that Leah Dickens, 6, was killed first, sometime in May 2025.

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