North Carolina Real Estate Agent Could Face Death Penalty After Killing Three People in Violent Rampage

GREENVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA – A North Carolina real estate agent accused of killing three people in a shocking January shooting spree may face the death penalty, prosecutors announced this week.

Prosecutors Seek Capital Punishment

David Lever, 55, was charged with three counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Enrique Reyes, 64, and married couple Anthony and Paula Gribble, ages 80 and 76, respectively.

The Pitt County District Attorney’s Office confirmed that it intends to seek capital punishment, citing the premeditated and continuous nature of Lever’s violent rampage that left three residents dead in Greenville.

The slayings, which occurred on January 10, 2025, left the quiet college town — home to East Carolina University (ECU) — in shock.

A Deadly Afternoon Across Greenville

Investigators said the violence began when Enrique Reyes returned home from a grocery trip. Surveillance video captured Lever, who lived on the same street, walking toward and then away from Reyes’ home shortly before gunfire erupted.

Reyes, a retired ECU biology professor, was later found dead in his driveway. Authorities said there was no apparent connection between the men other than proximity.

Lever then allegedly drove to a nearby gas station, firing shots randomly from his vehicle before continuing to another Greenville neighborhood.

After reportedly shooting into one home where residents did not answer the door, Lever drove to the Gribble residence, where he shot and killed the elderly couple, according to Pitt County Sheriff Paula Dance.

Heroic Son Held Suspect at Gunpoint

Before she was killed, Paula Gribble managed to call her son, who lived next door, and told him someone was in the house.

The son ran over with his firearm and found Lever inside. Authorities said he then held Lever at gunpoint until deputies arrived.

During the standoff, Lever allegedly confessed to killing the man’s parents, calmly admitting what he had done as police responded to the scene.

Sheriff Dance said the suspect had more weapons in his vehicle and at his home, suggesting he might have planned to continue the killing spree.

“Had he not been caught at the home of the Gribbles, they do believe he would have gone on to kill more people,” Dance said.

Weapons Cache Found

When deputies searched Lever’s home just a few houses away from the first crime scene, they found a massive cache of firearms — including more than 50 handguns and rifles, along with loaded weapons and ammunition in his van.

At his initial court appearance in January, Lever appeared disheveled and called the judge a “motherf—er” before being escorted out of the courtroom, WITN-TV reported.

Officials said Lever had a history of substance abuse but was known in Greenville as a licensed real estate agent and property owner.

Remembering the Victims

The tragedy has deeply affected Greenville residents and the ECU community.

Reyes, who spent 17 years teaching at East Carolina University, was remembered by the school as having “an important and meaningful impact on our faculty, staff, and students.”

Anthony and Paula Gribble were described in their obituary as “devoted church members whose faith guided them through life.” They had recently relocated to Greenville to be closer to their grandchildren.

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