Nona Strickland was sentenced to 50 years in prison Monday after she pleaded guilty for her role in the bludgeoning and smothering of two people in 2021. Her adopted mother was one of the victims.
Superior Court Judge C. Ashley Gore handed down the sentence after Strickland entered her plea to two counts of second degree murder in open court in Bladen County. Strickland was sentenced to 480 to 600 months in prison for the killings of Robbie Hildreth and Sean Burke. Family and friends of the victims along with members of the Bladen County Sheriff’s Office were in the courtroom.
Chief Assistant District Attorney Allan Adams told the court that the defendant and Keyonte Poole lived with the victims on Cribb Road, off U.S. 701 between Elizabethtown and Clarkton. On April 8, 2021, Social Services workers were making a home visit with Hildreth to check on Strickland when they found the bodies of Hildreth and Burke.
Investigators found that Burke died of “blunt force trauma to the head,” Adans said, Hildreth was suffocated.
Further investigation determined that the Poole and Strickland took Hildreth’s vehicle and went to Virginia. Investigators were able to follow evidence that both Poole and Strickland were using the victims’ EBT cards and vehicle at multiple convenience and grocery stores leading to the Richmond, Va. area. After an extensive manhunt by the Bladen County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshals, the defendants were found near Pink Hill, in Greene County.
The defendants fled a traffic stop by law enforcement. The chase crossed into Duplin county before the Poole lost control of the stolen vehicle and went airborne, landing on a Dodge pickup and ultimately catching fire. Poole and Strickland were treated at a local hospital before being arrested.
At the sentencing hearing, members of the family expressed their desire for Strickland to be held accountable for her actions and for their desire for. The Court heard the arguments of the state and defense counsel during the sentencing hearing.
Strickland also read letters to the court expressing regret for her actions to the family. The defense presented mitigation specialists and members of the defendant’s foster family before the court.
Poole was also sentenced to 480 to 600 months in prison on April 10 in Bladen County Superior Court before Gore.
The state was represented by Adams. Major Morgan Johnson and Det. Donnie Williamson along with other members of the Bladen County Sheriff’s Office led the investigation with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service.
