By Shavonne Potts
spotts@salisburypost.com
A Salisbury man charged in 2006 with killing a man and burying his body in a wooded area in Woodleaf has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
Christopher Ray Allman, 39, will spend more than 20 years in prison for killing Sven Warren Spearman, 23, at a home on Dan Street.
The trial began Tuesday, but after the first witness testified, Allman agreed to take the plea deal. According to Rowan County District Attorney Bill Kenerly, Spearman’s family did not object to the plea.
Allman faced first-degree murder. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. He was sentenced to at least 20 years and up to 25 years.
Allman was represented by attorney David Freeman.
Three other people also charged in the murder have not yet gone to trial.
Jennifer Elizabeth Swanda, 32, was charged with murder. Benjamin Joseph Wallace, then 38, and Lori Ann Archie, then 44, were charged with accessory after the fact of murder. Accessory charges against Matthew Tapley, 21, were dismissed two weeks ago, District Attorney Bill Kenerly said.
Tapley was set to be a witness in the trial.
Investigators have said an altercation occurred at 217 Dan St., where both Allman and Swanda lived.
Allman told officers in 2006 that Spearman was shot in self-defense. Allman led officers to a narrow dirt road opposite Martin Marietta Aggregates at 720 Quarry Road in Woodleaf, which is also near property owned by Wetmore Farms.
Spearman’s body was wrapped in plastic and taken to a wooded area. Spearman was buried in a shallow grave under tree limbs and debris.
At the Dan Street home, investigators seized a pistol grip 12-gauge shotgun along with a semi-automatic handgun. Investigators also discovered the kitchen walls had been freshly painted, and the kitchen table had been set on fire in the back yard.
Three days after the killing, the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office arrested Archie and Wallace at a vehicle stop.
Investigators believe Wallace and Archie assisted after the murder by helping to clean the crime scene and providing a shovel used to conceal Spearman’s body. They also helped by moving Spearman’s car, authorities say.
Archie and Wallace have been out on bond. Swanda remains in the Rowan Detention Center, where she’s been since her September 2006 arrest. No court date has been set.