Although Billy Wayne Davis was still alive and serving life in prison for an unrelated murder, Billy Sunday Birt, Bobby Gene Gaddis, and Charles David Reed had all died in prison — where they were also serving life sentences for murder. The Wilkes Journal-Patriot reports that authorities interviewed Davis on three different occasions between September 2019 and August 2021.
During the interviews, Davis admitted he went to the Durham family home with Birt, Gaddis, and Reed, who were all members of a criminal network and referred to themselves as the Dixie Mafia. Davis said he waited outside while the others entered the Durham home and killed the family. Although he did not disclose who hired them, Davis said they were paid to kill the Durhams. According to the Wilkes Journal-Patriot, the hit was arranged through Birt, who died in 2017. Therefore, authorities may never know who ordered the killings or what their motive was. There was prior speculation that the son-in-law, Troy Hall, may have been involved, but he died in December 2019.
Watauga County Sheriff Len Hagaman said the information provided by Davis was consistent with evidence collected from the crime scene, and he is confident that the case can now be closed. Authorities noted Birt, Gaddis, and Reed, were all in prison for killing R.O. Fleming — who was a retired car dealer — and his wife, Lois. Authorities noted several similarities in the cases.
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