HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — A Henderson County woman will spend up to 13 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in a reported stabbing that happened a little over a year ago in Laurel Park.
On Jan. 27 in Henderson County Criminal Superior Court, Vanessa Annalee Ledbetter, 39, of Laurel Park, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the stabbing death of her boyfriend, according to a news release from R. Andrew Murray, who is the district attorney for Henderson, Polk and Transylvania counties.
According to court trial records and records from the investigation, Ledbetter was in a "turbulent" relationship with 58-year-old Robin Arnold Bracken. On Jan. 7, 2024, Henderson County EMS and the Laurel Park Police Department responded to 16 Lake Drive after a neighbor called about a domestic dispute.
When police and EMS arrived, they found Bracken was found laid out in a common area outside the couple’s apartment, unresponsive and bleeding from his midsection, according to court records. An investigation revealed he had been stabbed in the back in the bathroom of their shared apartment and had staggered out to the common area, asking for help before succumbing to his injury.
Although neighbors detailed how Ledbetter and Bracken had been involved in a tumultuous and unhealthy relationship, the investigation revealed that Bracken was not armed and that there was no physical assault occurring when the stabbing took place, according to police records. Police reported that Ledbetter admitted to stabbing Bracken because she was scared and afraid of him.
Following the trial, Stetzer sentenced Ledbetter to a minimum term of 124 months (10 years) and a maximum term of 161 months (13 years) in the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections.
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