BLADEN COUNTY, N.C. (WECT)- It was the hardest moment of Peggy Blanks’ life: the phone call telling her her pregnant daughter was dead.
“It’s a pain that I don’t wish on anybody,” Blanks said. “She was my firstborn. I didn’t imagine having to bury her.”
Bolivia Williams passed away after she was shot in Bladen County. Her boyfriend, 31-year-old Najee Devon Leach, is behind bars, charged with her murder.
Williams was pregnant with her sixth child at the time she was killed. She leaves behind five children, ages ranging from 11 months to 16 years old.
Blanks is now speaking out. She said she’s in shock, angry that her daughter was taken from her, and feels betrayed by Leach.
“You were like family. Because she loved you, we loved you,” she said.
Williams now lives in Blanks’ memory instead of by her side.
“From morning to night, we we’re on the phone Facetiming, you know, talking to the babies and now, it’s like, my phone is ringing because of people that are concerned, but I’m still waiting for my daughter to call… she’s not gonna call me anymore,” Blanks said.
She said what hurts most is thinking about the fear and pain Williams may have gone through the moment she died.
“That’s the hard part. You don’t know if she was crying for help if she died suddenly, I don’t know,” she explained.
As Blanks gets through one day at a time, she continues to face a new battle: forgiveness.
“Trying to forgive him? Maybe one day. I still don’t know if it’s going to happen but, I don’t know,” Blanks said.
Leach was arrested around 4 p.m. on Wednesday, June 5. He appeared in court on Thursday, June 6, and was given no bond. Leach is charged with:
- Felony Murder
- Felony Murder of Unborn Child
- Felony Discharging a weapon into Occupied Property
- Felony Robbery with Dangerous Weapon
- Felony Larceny of Motor Vehicle
Leach is currently being held at Bladen County Detention Center until his next court date June 27, 2024.
This is still an open investigation. If anyone has information about this case, contact the Bladen County Sheriff’s Office at (910) 862-6960. You can also make anonymous reports on the Bladen County Sheriff’s Office app.
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