ASHEVILLE -Three people were sentenced to prison for their roles in the robbery and murder of an Asheville-area man in 2021.
Cross Beaver, 27, Willie Byrd, 29, and Carmen Gillespie, 49, were convictedin the death of Boyce Shane Plemmons, 44, who lived on Dryman Mountain Road in Buncombe County, according to court records.
On the evening of Sept. 27, 2021, Willie Byrd and Carmen Gillespie broke into Plemmons’ Asheville-area home, threatened him with a gun, stole his cell phone, and fatally shot him. Cross Beaver served as the driver during the commission of the crime, the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office said in a press release.
Cross Beaver pleaded guilty July 27 to accessory after the fact to second-degree murder and was sentenced to more than
four to almost seven years in prison.
• Willie Byrd pleaded guilty June 8 to second-degree murder and was sentenced to nearly 12 to more than 15 years in prison.
• Carmen Gillespie pleaded guilty Nov. 6, 2025 to soliciting first-degree murder, felony breaking and entering, possession of a firearm by a felon, attempted trafficking in heroin, and attempted trafficking in methamphetamine. She was sentenced to seven to more than nine years in prison.
Kara Fohner is the Public Safety Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. Email her at kfohner@usatodayco.com or call her at (980) 241-8671.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Three sentenced for 2021 Asheville home invasion
