Murder charge dropped, lawsuit settled, trial delayed

Three significant cases originating in Burke County saw developments in recent weeks: a murder charge was dismissed for lack of sufficient forensic evidence, a lawsuit against Burke County Public Schools was settled out of court, and a white-collar criminal case was delayed once again.

ANOTHER CONTINUANCE FOR STANCIL

Stanley Travis Stancil, 30, of Palm Beach, Fla., appeared in court on Aug. 3, occupying the front row of the benches in the Superior Courtroom alongside a small entourage of people. His blue suit was nearly identical to that of his lawyer, Lisa Dubs, as she requested another continuance.

This is the fourth continuance since the case hit Superior Court.

The court allowed the postponement of proceedings with the caveat that on Sept. 28, his next appearance in court, Stancil either accepts a plea deal or prepares to go to trial.

A grand jury indicted Stancil on two counts of obtaining property by false pretense and four counts of embezzlement — all felonies — on Oct. 16, 2025. Stancil turned himself in on Oct. 29, posting his $10,000 bond just a few minutes later before heading back south.

MURDER CASE DISMISSED

The case against Donaven James Purcell, 27, of Morganton, arrested in August 2025 for second-degree murder, has been dismissed without leave by the district attorney.

According to the dismissal, the results from the state crime lab do not provide “evidence beyond a reasonable doubt of (the) defendant’s culpability.”

Purcell was arrested in connection with the stabbing of Matthew Yury Roderick, alongside Chad Allen MacJarrett, 28, of Morganton.

On Aug. 22, it was Purcell who called 911, telling authorities he had awoken in his blood-soaked mobile home before finding Roderick’s body in the bathroom with his face pressed against the tub.

The bloody knife was in the connected bedroom.

Both Purcell and MacJarrett allegedly told investigators they drank heavily the night before, and neither remembered the sequence of events.

With the dismissal, Purcell is now a free man. MacJarrett will appear in Superior Court again on Sept. 28.

CASE AGAINST THE SCHOOL BOARD

In late October 2025, a Jane Doe brought a case against the Burke County Board of Education, former BCPS Superintendent David Burleson, former Glen Alpine Elementary principal Kathy Amos, former Hildebran Elementary principal Wendi Craven, and former elementary teacher Michael Alexander.

In the case, Doe accused the past staff members of “negligence and deliberate indifference” in abuse she suffered at the hands of Alexander as a child.

According to the school district, the matter was settled outside of court through the district’s insurance carrier for an undisclosed amount.

The defendants’ attorney, Andrew “Andy” Santaniello, of Pope Aylward Sweeney and Santaniello, LLP, said part of the settlement was no admission of liability or fault on the part of the school board — but that’s standard in settlements.

Santaniello represented all of the defendants aside from Alexander.

Alexander is currently serving a nearly 50-year sentence for dozens of sex crimes discovered by European police during a 2012 sting on a child pornography ring based in Spain. According to court records, Doe was among the victims.

Since the insurance company handled the settlement, the BoE was made aware of the information in a closed session, and did not have to vote on it.

“The only people who enjoy going to court are lawyers,” said Santaniello. “It is a very stressing and taxing process, even under normal circumstances. Anytime you’re dealing with the alleged sexual abuse of — although she is no longer a minor, but was a minor at the time — these are very trying facts, very trying circumstances, and it does not benefit anyone to go to court on those cases, and it’s probably best for many reasons to resolve them.”