Neighbor pleads guilty to killing N.C. guidance counselor
CATAWBA COUNTY, N.C. - The man accused of killing a popular Catawba County guidance counselor has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in her 2014 death, reports CBS affiliate WBTV.
Sharmon Odom pleaded guilty Thursday morning in the death of Margaret “Maggie” Elizabeth Daniels.
Odom accepted a deal offered several months ago where he would plead guilty and serve life in prison without parole and prosecutors would agree not to seek a death sentence.
Daniels’ brother, Chris Daniels, made a statement on behalf of the family following the courtroom proceedings.
“Although our family will never have peace, we are happy to have some closure and know that justice was served for Maggie,” Chris Daniels said. “No outcome can bring her back or make right what was stolen from our family. We will hold close the memories that we have and cherish them.”
Odom also spoke in court.
“My heart goes out to the Daniels family,” Odom said, in part. “Hopefully, this is justice today.”
Daniels was killed in June 2014 and her body was found inside her apartment.
Odom was arrested more than a month later and charged with first-degree murder, first-degree sexual offense and first-degree kidnapping in Daniels’ death.
At the time of Daniels’ death, she and Odom lived in the same apartment complex.
The station reports that in a search warrant, officers say they found Daniels’ body on the floor of the bedroom inside her apartment on June 28 around 10:30 a.m. Daniels was found wearing only a pair of shorts, with a yellow towel between her feet.
“Several items of furniture in the bedroom were damaged or askew, suggesting a struggle occurred in the bedroom,” the probable cause section of the warrant stated. “There were ligature marks on Daniels’ neck, suggesting she was strangled.”
Odom’s neighbor told investigators that Odom had mentioned Daniels numerous times in the past, saying that she was very attractive and he wanted to “get with” her.
According to the witness, Odom had shown him photos of Daniels from her Instagram and Twitter accounts about six weeks before her death.
Odom reportedly told the man that Daniels’ had a boyfriend that only came into the area on the weekends.
The neighbor told investigators that he spoke with Odom frequently and that Odom appeared to know the habits of other women as well, making statements like “that girl lives by herself.”
An investigator noted in the search warrant that, during his first interview with investigators, Odom had a patch of hair missing from the front of his head. The investigator believed the patch was the result of a struggle.
Odom has twice been charged with rape in Mecklenburg County, once in 2010 and another time in 2012. In both cases, Odom was charged with rape, strangulation and common law robbery.
