A Morganton woman has been sentenced to up to six years in prison for involvement in the murder of a pregnant woman.
Tammy Duckworth Boone, 52, went before the court on Monday, May 19, for her trial in Burke County’s Superior Court. Boone and her accomplice Dylan Rogers, 32, were charged in the 2023 murder of Brandi Ransboltom Deal, 41, and her unborn child.
Both were originally charged with two felonies, murder and murder of an unborn child.
On Monday morning, Presiding Judge Reggie McKnight dismissed the two murder charges against Boone.
Boone, represented by attorney Charles Bostian, pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling from a moving vehicle. She also pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice, which will be consolidated into her active sentence.
Boone was sentenced to 55-78 months in prison, with the possibility of parole. She is currently held in the Burke County Jail, but will be transported to the N.C. Division of Adult Corrections.
MURDER CONVICTION
Boone’s plea deal follows Rogers’ nearly two-week trial that concluded on Thursday, April 10. After the jury deliberated for three and a half hours over two days, he was found guilty of murder of Brandi Ransboltom Deal, 41, and her unborn child.
For his charges, he will serve a life sentence without parole and is in the custody of the N.C. Division of Adult Corrections.
“I want to thank the jury for their time, attention, and service in the recent trial of State v. Dylan Rogers, who has now been convicted of second-degree murder and murder of an unborn child for the senseless deaths of Brandi Deal and her unborn child,” 36th Prosecutorial District Attorney Scott Reilly previously said. “This tragic case has weighed heavily on our community since the day it occurred more than two years ago. The defendant fired a shotgun into a home, showing complete disregard for human life, all because he was angry over a personal dispute.
“Today, justice was served. The jury’s verdict holds the defendant accountable for his actions, and the court’s sentence of life without parole reflects the seriousness of these crimes. No sentence can ever replace the lives lost or heal the pain felt by the victim’s family, but I hope this verdict brings some measure of closure.”
BACKGROUND OF CASE
Burke County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived on Friday afternoon, Feb. 10, 2023, to the Clark Loop residence after receiving a call from Deal’s boyfriend, Richard Buff.
The original call was for cardiac arrest, but responding units found Deal had suffered from gunshot wounds. Deal and her unborn child later succumbed to their injuries. Various news outlets reported that Deal’s baby was due shortly after she was killed.
Investigators reviewed video footage from nearby cameras showing the residence and interviews with various individuals.
Six days later, on Feb. 16, deputies arrested Rogers and Boone. They were both placed in the Burke County Jail without bond and appeared in court the day of the arrest.
Saydie Bean is the municipal and courts reporter. She may be reached at 828-445-8595, ext. 2011, or saydie@thepaper.media.