Orrum, North Carolina

From the Lumberton Robesonian of January 3, 2007

Ex-trooper kills assailant

A retired trooper with the state Highway Patrol says he was acting in self-defense when he shot and killed the boyfriend of a family friend on New Year's Day, according to a sheriff's detective.

Robert “Sonny” Moore, 63, killed 24-year-old Travis Worriax with a single shot to his torso, according to sheriff's Detective Lt. Ricky Britt. Moore, who retired as a state Highway Patrol trooper in 1994, could not be reached this morning for comment.

“Basically, it will probably be a self-defense case,” Britt said. “We're still waiting on the autopsy before it's completely ruled self-defense.”

According to Britt, Moore suffered cuts to his left arm and his left ear during a confrontation that occurred about 10:30 a.m. Monday on Princess Ann Road. He was treated and released from Southeastern Regional Medical Center after receiving a total of 18 stitches, Britt said.

Britt said Moore told investigators the following story:

On New Year's Eve, Moore received a telephone call from Lydia Walters, who complained that she was having an argument with her boyfriend, Worriax. Moore said that Walters told him they had both been drinking alcohol and that Worriax had left the home after she had asked him to do so.

The next day, Moore went to the home at 1024 Princess Ann Road to check on Walters and was confronted by Worriax.

“When he walked around the trailer, Travis jumped out at him and cut him several times with a butcher knife,” Britt said.

Moore, who traps beavers and carries a handgun strapped to his side, used the .38-caliber revolver to shoot Walters during what Britt called a “tussle.”

“Sonny said he thought he'd missed him because the boy took off running about 75 yards toward the highway” before he collapsed, Britt said.

Britt said the case will be reviewed by District Attorney Johnson Britt to see if any charges are warranted. An autopsy will be performed at the state Medical Examiner's Office in Chapel Hill.

Walters, 30, was inside the mobile home with her baby when Worriax was killed. Britt said that Worriax is not the father of the child.

“You don't ever know what would have happened if he didn't have that gun,” Britt said. “He's 63 years old and he just had hip replacement.”