In February 2019, a quiet neighborhood in Rural Hall, North Carolina, became the scene of a horrifying crime.
Norris Dwayne Rochelle, a 28-year-old man, shot and killed 40-year-old Nicholas Williams, then dismembered his body in a brutal attempt to cover up the crime.
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| Nicholas Williams |
Nicholas Williams graduated from High Point University, worked as a teacher, and had visited many countries.
He could speak three different languages and had traveled to every continent except Africa and Antarctica.
On February 5, 2019, Williams spent some family time with his mother, to celebrate her 72nd birthday.
Sadly, she didn’t know it would be the last time she’d see him alive, as just a few days later, his family reported him missing.
"He squeezed me real tight with his big arms," Jo recalled of their last hug. "He was a big man with a big heart," she added.
On August 2, 2019, a heated argument broke out between Williams, and Rochelle at their home on Hallmark Drive in Rural Hall.
At the time, they were living together—Williams owned the house, and Rochelle was renting a room from him.
According to police reports, Rochelle shot Williams in the head during the dispute, but William didn't die immediately.
In a chilling act, Rochelle then FaceTimed a friend in Craven County —and during the call, he shot Williams a second time in the head, which ultimately killed him.
Instead of calling for help, Rochelle drove to Craven County to pick up his friend, Peter Schocker, and the two returned to the Rural Hall home.
There, they dismembered Williams’ body, hid the remains in a car and planned to burn his remains to destroy evidence.
But before they could dispose of the body, Williams’ parents arrived at the house, searching for their son.
Rochelle lied, claiming Williams had been dropped off at an apartment complex, and he even drove Williams’ parents to the location, further deceiving them.
When they couldn’t find their son at the supposed apartment, they returned home and called the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO).
Meanwhile, when williams parents initially left to look for their son at the apartment, Rochelle’s friend drove the car containing Williams’ remains to Craven County, where they were later burned and abandoned.
When criminal investigators from FSCO spoke with Rochelle, they quickly became suspicious due to his changing and inconsistent stories.
During his interview, he continued to claim he was innocent —until his friend, Schocker, confessed to the detectives from Craven County police.
After Schocker’s confession, authorities were able to recover Williams’ remains, which had been badly burned.
Forensic experts later confirmed that the remains belonged to him.
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| Peter Schocker |
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| Norris Dwayne Rochelle |
When detectives confronted Rochelle with this new evidence, he changed his story—this time claiming he acted in self-defense.
However, the forensic investigations told a different story: Williams had been shot twice in the head, and there were no signs of a struggle.
In 2024, Rochelle entered a plea agreement to avoid going to trial and facing the death penalty.
He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, concealment of an unnatural death, conspiracy to commit concealment of an unnatural death, and assault inflicting physical injury upon a detention employee.
Williams’ family agreed with the plea deal, choosing closure over the pain of a long and emotional court battle.
Tragically, this wasn’t the first time Jo lost a child—her 12-year-old daughter, Tracey, was killed in a hit-and-run in 1983.
While Rochelle is behind bars, the Williams family can never fully heal from the wounds left behind.
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