DA’s office settles four murder cases in 1 week

ASHEBORO — The last week of June was celebratory for the Randolph County District Attorney’s office. Not so much for persons charged with murder.

During the week of June 24, four murder defendants all pleaded guilty, according to Assistant DA Walt Jones, who handled the cases. 

Juan Carlos Matoros-Godoy, 31, and Billy J. Smith, 53, both took pleas that resulted in life in prison without parole. 

Derek Walls, 29, and Jemen Portis, 23, were co-defendants and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Walls was sentenced to 18-22 years in prison while Portis’ term ranges from 25-31 years.

Matoros-Godoy and Smith were both charged with murders of women. Matoros-Godoy became a suspect in the death of Soledad Ortiz, 42, when her bullet-riddled body was found at the Lake Lucas dam on Oct. 17, 2019.

Sheriff deputies found shell casings at the scene and fingerprints, later found to belong to Matoros-Godoy, at Ortiz’s home. Witnesses identified Matoros-Godoy from a photo lineup. He was later captured in a Nash County residence, where a handgun matching the murder weapon was found. He was charged with first-degree kidnapping and murder.

When Sherry Shaw, 55, of Brookside Drive, Asheboro, was found stabbed to death on April 25, 2021, police investigators soon suspected Smith, a former boyfriend of Shaw. When the suspected stolen vehicle was spotted, Smith led officers on a car chase.

Smith drove off the roadway on U.S. 64 near East Salisbury Street and got stuck in the woods, according to the police report. Smith ran from the vehicle, but was immediately apprehended. He received multiple charges, including murder and larceny of a motor vehicle.

Walls and Portis were the suspects in an April 24, 2020, robbery gone bad near the Coleridge Road Apartments. The victim was Datavious Bruton. 

According to Jones, the sentences were all pre-arranged with the defendants. For Matoros-Godoy and Smith, the plea deal took the death penalty off the table.

As for Walls and Portis, Jones said, the difference in sentences was the result of consideration of various factors in each case. “A lot goes into making these decisions,” he said.

As for settling four murder cases in Randolph Superior Court within one week, Jones said, “It was a pretty good week. I don’t know if it’s a record. I never saw four in one week, but I’m tickled to death with it. We got a lot of bad people off the streets.”