John Jefferson
Peggy Sylvania Yarborough (Garner Police Department).
Originally charged with murder, a North Carolina woman pleaded guilty on Friday to voluntary manslaughter for shooting her ex-boyfriend to death, show online records out of Wake County. Peggy Sylvania Yarborough, 62, was sentenced to four years and three months to six years and two months in prison, but she already served a sizable chunk of that, having received 1,069 days — almost three years — of time served credit.
Officers with the Garner Police Department previously said that the killing followed a rocky night between her and the victim, Delquan Douglas, 32, on Oct. 31, 2021. There had initially been a domestic disturbance call that night, in which a family member told 911 there was a dispute, Garner Police Capt. Mike McIver told Law&Crime at the time. The pair used to date and had recently broken up, but they were still living together, he said.
According to the call for service report obtained by Law&Crime, Douglas wanted Yarborough out of the house, but police said she would have to be evicted for that to be the case.
“Yarborough was gone when we arrived. We spoke to Douglas and he said that they had a verbal argument and Yarborough left,” officers wrote. “He said that the house was his and she has been living there and he wanted her to not return. I told him that since it was her residence, she would need to be evicted. He asked if we could call Yarborough and ask her to stay somewhere else for the night, we said that we would, but could not guarantee that she would not return.”
When police got in touch with Yarborough, she ended up returning to the residence, documents stated.
“I called Yarborough to confirm that there was no physical altercation, she said that there was not,” officers wrote. “She then went on to say that she did have a gun and would use it if she felt threatened. I told her that she was legally allowed to own a gun and use it if the circumstances deemed it necessary. I asked her if she had somewhere else to stay for the night and she said that she did and was going back. I then ended the call. As I was leaving the area Yarborough pulled into the driveway of the residence. We got out with her and she said that she was going inside. She was advised that it would be best if she stayed away from Douglas and she said that she would. Sgt Roberson rang the doorbell to speak to Douglas and let him know that Yarborough was coming in, but he did not answer. We then left.”
But less than an hour after the initial call, it was Yarborough who reached 911 to say that she had shot and killed Douglas.
“I told her that she was legally allowed to own a gun and use it if the circumstances deemed it necessary,” a responding officer wrote.
Police said they last spoke to Yarborough after she pulled into the driveway. She allegedly said she was going inside the residence. Police recommended she keep her distance from Douglas, according to documents. She allegedly said that she would.
“I can’t tell you what she was thinking,” McIver told Law&Crime regarding Yarborough telling police she had a gun.
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