BAKERSVILLE – Four of the six defendants involved in the 2016 murder of Joshua Buchanan have plead guilty to charges and been sentenced.
Buchanan, 26, went missing on Sept. 22, 2016. His body was found several days later in a shallow grave on private property.
Two of the women involved, Felicia Marie Fox and Melissa Thompson, plead guilty to charges in connection with the case and were transferred to North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women in Raleigh on Friday, June 19.
Fox plead guilty to second degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. She has 1,339 days in jail credit and received 168 to 214 months in the NC Department of Corrections. Fox was ordered to attend substance abuse treatment and psychological counseling and provided with work credit and educational resources.
Thompson plead guilty to accessory after the fact for murder. She has 1,304 in jail credit and received 50 to 72 months active in the NC Department of Corrections. Thompson was ordered to attend substance abuse treatment and psychological counseling, as well.
Kevin Scott Buchanan and William Peter Guttendorff also plead guilty to accessory after the fact to first degree murder. Buchanan has 1,302 days in jail credit and received 96 to 128 months in the NC Department of Corrections. Guttendorf has 1304 days in jail credit and received 51 to 74 months in the NC Department of Corrections.
“I am pleased that, since February of this year, five of the six defendants involved in the murder of Joshua Emmanuel Buchanan have faced justice in their cases,” Mitchell County Sheriff Donald Street said. “Thus far we have had one jury trial and four guilty pleas in this case. I am still grateful for the cooperation and assistance we received from other agencies.”
On Feb. 14, Travis Bowman was found guilty by a jury of first degree murder in the death of Joshua Buchanan and was sentenced to life without parole. Bowman was also found guilty of first degree kidnapping, felony conspiracy to commit murder and possession of a firearm by felon. All of his sentences will run back to back.
Regina Pittman, Buchanan’s mother, was also indicted for accessory after the fact to first degree murder. She is awaiting a trial date.