Phillip Ingle was executed by the State of North Carolina for the murder of two elderly couples
According to court documents Phillip Ingle would murder William Fred Davis, 68, and Margaret Davis, 67 after breaking into their home. A month later Ingle would beat to death E.Z. Willis, 70 and Sarah Willis, 67, after breaking into their home
Phillip Ingle would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
Phillip Ingle would be executed by lethal injection on September 22 1995
Phillip Ingle Photos
Phillip Ingle Case
It was exactly four years ago Wednesday that Phillip Ingle was arrested for beating an elderly couple to death in this out-of-the-way corner of Rutherford County. But the years haven’t undone the hurt Ingle did to a rural neighborhood of farmers, retirees and mill workers. Even though the state plans to execute him by lethal injection Friday, the emotional scars he created run deep, and the fear and suspicion haven’t gone away.
At the home of an old man who still is used to shouting “Come in” when someone knocks, there’s a sign cautioning trespassers that he is armed. The winding driveway to another neighbor’s home sports a locked gate and a sign reading “Warning,” and the name of an alarm company that monitors the property. Still another home warns, “Forget the Dog, Beware of the Owner.” “I think for a lot of us, this has gone by, and we’re trying to get on back to normal,” said Charlie Canipe, who lives less than a mile from the single-story Stroud Road home where Fred Davis, 68, and his wife, Margaret, 67, were clubbed to death with an ax handle. “But,” he said after some thought, “I can’t speak for a lot of the older people. I think while we might all be a little more alert, looking out for strangers, they are still scared.”
James Hubbard, an elderly man who lives nearby with his wife, Mary, said his life has changed. “I’ve got a gun now,” he said. “Wouldn’t hesitate to use it, and I never had one before.” A sign on Hubbard’s porch reads “We Don’t Dial 911” and features a painting of a smoking gun. “I used to never lock my door,” Hubbard said. “Now, at night I don’t even crack it. I ask who it is right through the door.” Even during daylight hours, Hubbard’s screen door is locked, although out of habit he still shouts “Come in” when he hears a knock. Rutherford County Chief Investigator Floyd Laughter said the Davis’ July 28, 1991, murder dragged the rural community into the ’90s. “There’s scars there that will never heal, not in our lifetime,” Laughter said. “In my 25 years of police work, I have never seen such a violent, brutal crime . . . and I’ve seen a lot.”
Ingle smashed the skulls of his two victims, leaving gaping holes that at first led deputies to believe they had been shot. One of Mr. Davis’ fingertips was sliced cleanly by the force of a blow. And the killing still appears random, not fueled by anything but blood lust. Nothing was stolen; there was no ongoing feud. “It appears he just wanted to kill someone. I think a crime like that can change the way people look at their neighborhood,” said Laughter, who still wasn’t 100 percent convinced Wednesday the execution would go off as scheduled. For residents of the unincorporated Hollis community, the death penalty is a just penalty in Ingle’s case. “If you’ve got a petition to fry him today, I’ll sign it now,” Canipe said. His friend, Tommy Beaver, agreed. “Fred (Davis) was a fine fellow,” he said. “He didn’t deserve that. He was a good man; never bothered anyone. Just a good person.”
Ingle, on North Carolina’s death row since his 1993 conviction, fired his lawyers two weeks ago and asked to die. A list of authorized witnesses to the execution, set for 2 a.m. Friday, includes the murdered couple’s only son, Steven; lead investigators Capt. Lester Russell “Rusty” Collins and Lt. Detective R.H. “Firpo” Epley from the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Department; officers and lawyers from state police agencies; and reporters.
