08/08/2026
PRESS RELEASE
On Tuesday, August 4, 2026, a Sampson County jury found Carl Wiggins, 54, formerly of 104 West North Street, Apartment D, Roseboro, guilty of first-degree murder, concealment of a death, and possession of a stolen motor vehicle in the June 2021 death of his wife, Kiara Renee Wiggins, 38.
The defendant elected to represent himself at trial. The court appointed Attorney Jason Minnicozzi of Wilmington to act as Wiggins’ standby counsel at trial.
The State introduced 450 items of evidence and its evidence showed that Mrs. Wiggins’ family last spoke with her around June 9, 2021. On June 18, the family went to their home looking for her. They were not able to get anyone to the door and her car was missing. They were able to enter the home, and it appeared that the home was packed up with clothing and bedding packed in garbage bags, and furniture disassembled and moved. They also noticed that there were numerous air fresheners and insect foggers throughout the home. Law enforcement was notified and the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation began an investigation into her disappearance. Numerous items of evidence were seized from the home including clothing and bedding. Officers noticed the odor of decomposition coming from some bedding in one of the garbage bags. What appeared to be drag marks were located on the back deck of the apartment. Mrs. Wiggins’ family located the defendant at the Budget Inn in Clinton on June 19 and when asked where she was, he told them that they had gotten into an argument and she left and ‘went to a white girl’s house that sold food stamps.’ The defendant left the Budget Inn driving a black Ford Excursion, which was not a vehicle he was known to drive.
It was determined that on June 15, the defendant went to several stores and purchased deodorizers, cleaning products, insect foggers, a tarp, rope, and a gas can. It was also learned that on June 18 the defendant borrowed a shovel and a bush axe from an acquaintance. That person reported that the defendant left their home driving a black Ford Excursion, which was not a vehicle the defendant was known to drive. Video from a nearby business showed a vehicle arrive at the defendant’s apartment in the early morning hours of June 15 and pull around back, which the business owner testified was out of the ordinary. The business owner testified that the defendant and Mrs. Wiggins “fought all the time.”
On June 17, Donald Melvin of Bladen County reported that when he got home, he noticed his work truck, a black Ford Excursion, had been taken from his home. Mr. Melvin did not know either the defendant or Mrs. Wiggins. Mrs. Wiggins’ car was located on Green Sea Road in Bladen County. A new, unopened package of rope in a Big Blue Store bag was located on the ground near where her car was found. A new tarp was located in the trunk.
The defendant got into a chase with law enforcement on June 23 in Johnston County which ended when he struck spike strips on I-40 in Raleigh. He was driving Donald Melvin’s Ford Excursion. He was taken into custody at that time for possession of a stolen vehicle as Mrs. Wiggins’ whereabouts and condition was still unknown. That Ford Excursion was processed both by law enforcement and personnel from the North Carolina State Crime Lab. A cadaver dog with the Bladen County Sheriff’s Office also alerted on the rear of the Excursion. The initial findings indicated that DNA from an unknown person was found on swabs from the bumper of that vehicle as law enforcement did not have a known DNA standard from Mrs. Wiggins.
The Sheriff’s Office continued to search for Mrs. Wiggins and with the assistance of the Sampson County Fire Marshall, they narrowed their search area down to woods off Boykin Bridge Road. While searching the area on August 2, they located a car seat, books, and a Bible belonging to Donald Melvin. Not far from those items, the Fire Marshall noticed a depression in the ground. Deputies began to dig, stopped when they reached what appeared to be colored cloth and notified the SBI. The SBI excavated the clandestine grave and located Mrs. Wiggins in trash bags, a sheet, a multicolored blanket, and a 2 XL House of Raeford t-shirt. The defendant was known to have worked at the House of Raeford. She was also bound with a belt and extension cords.
Due to the condition of her remains, she was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Raleigh, who determined that she died of homicidal violence of undetermined means. The pathologist, Dr. Janet Baranello, ruled out any natural cause of her death and she had no drugs (illicit or otherwise) in her system. Dr. Baranello testified that the most likely cause of Mrs. Wiggins’ death was asphyxiation and often there are no physical findings of asphyxia at autopsy. A sample of Mrs. Wiggins’ DNA was obtained and submitted to the State Crime Lab and a forensic scientist, Sarah Ellis, determined that the unknown DNA on one of the swabs from the bumper of the Ford Excursion was 92.9 trillion times more likely to have originated from Mrs. Wiggins, than an unknown individual.
Jury selection began on Monday, July 27, 2026, and the jury returned its verdict after approximately three and half hours of deliberation. Superior Court Judge Augustus D. Willis IV, of Craven County, sentenced the defendant to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the first-degree murder conviction, a consecutive sentence of 128 to 166 months in prison, for the concealment of death, and a consecutive sentence of 20 to 33 months for the possession of the stolen motor vehicle. These sentences were ordered to run consecutively to the sentence the defendant is presently serving for the chase on I-40. He was also ordered to reimburse Mrs. Wiggins’ family for her funeral expenses in the amount of $5,068.85.
One of Mrs. Wiggins’ sisters spoke at sentencing and forgave the defendant for his actions.
The Sampson County Sheriff’s Office criminal investigation division investigated the case with the assistance of the NC State Bureau of Investigation. I appreciate the work of the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office under the leadership of Sheriff Jimmy Thornton and the NC State Bureau of Investigation. Assistant District Attorneys Jennifer Barnes and Robert Thigpen prosecuted the case with the assistance of Legal Assistant McKenzie Grady.
This defendant deserved the sentence of life without the possibility of parole for his crimes. This was a senseless act of violence that will affect the victim’s family for the rest of their lives. Kiara Renee Wiggins was only 38 years old when she was murdered. She was loved by her family, who described her as “a ray of sunshine” and the loss of her life affects them deeply. Family members were in court each day of the trial in support and memory of her.
Ernie Lee
District Attorney
