Dec. 3 – A nearly 53-year-old man charged with first-degree murder in the Jan. 4, 2022, death of his wife has an administrative hearing scheduled for Dec. 16.
Brent James Bockes, who turns 53 on December 8, has been in prison for nearly three years since he was arrested in Murfreesboro, Tennessee following a car accident on January 5, 2022. Bockes then fled the scene, but was arrested a short time later in a motel, according to an earlier report by the Sanford Herald.
Bockes, who had been driving a 2013 Toyota Avalon and crashed on I-24, was being held without bond.
He was also charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon and theft of a motor vehicle.
The couple’s three-year-old daughter Riley was found unharmed with Bockes.
According to a search warrant for a home on Lee Ave. 3927 in Sanford, Detective Megan Bullock seized three knives, a knife set and a notebook, among other things.
According to a court document, police found blood under a carport next to a side entrance to the home and a blood trail inside leading under a kitchen table. The victim, Deana Michelle “Missy” (Brown) Bockes, 48, was found deceased under the table covered in a blanket with multiple blunt force injuries.
She suffered injuries to her head, neck and back, according to an autopsy report.
A crime victim compensation fund claim of $5,000 was filed in the case for funeral expenses to be paid to Erikka Stowe Emmons of Bennett, a daughter of Deana Bockes.
In May 2021, Brent Bockes pleaded guilty in Moore County to assault on a woman and charges of assault by strangulation and child abuse were dismissed. He was also convicted of violating probation. Bockes received a five-month prison sentence and 18 months’ probation with credit for 37 days in jail. He was ordered not to assault, threaten or harass Deana or Riley Bockes and not to use drugs or alcohol.
He was charged with driving under the influence by Greensboro police as of July 29, 2021, but the charge was dismissed on March 18, 2022 because the officer was no longer available, according to eCourts. At the time, Bockes had a Robbins address.
He was convicted of driving under the influence in Randolph County on May 2, 2019, after being stopped by the state highway patrol in Asheboro. According to eCourts, Bockes had a blood alcohol level of 0.03 percent. He was given a prison sentence of sixty days, suspended for eighteen months.
In the estate of Deana Bockes, Riley Harper Bockes received $5,333 on July 21, 2023. Erikka Stowe Emmons and Garth Sheldon Stowe, Bockes’ son, each received $333 of the $6,000 total, according to eCourts. The last two are adults.
