15 years after daughter's murder, man still seeking closure

MOUNT HOLLY, N.C. — A Belmont father is worried he will die before seeing justice for his daughter’s murder.

Her killer was sentenced almost 15 years ago. Now, a local lawmaker is joining the father’s cause and trying to get him closure.

Over the weekend, John Belk had the kind of anniversary that people don’t celebrate. Fifteen years ago, his daughter, Sandy Anthony, was shot and killed by her estranged husband, William Anthony.

“Every day of my life, I’m thinking about it,” he said. “She fell dead in that yard.”

It happened outside of Belk’s Mount Holly home while neighbors watched.

“When she begged for her life, he shot her again,” Belk said.

Then Anthony turned the gun on Belk, he said. As a result of the shooting, Belk has had to deal with heart problems ever since.

Anthony has been on death row since 1998.

“I have a fear that I ain’t going to get to see the man executed,” he said.

A state moratorium on death sentences was implemented in 2007 because statistics show the death sentence is handed down far more often when the victim is white.

Anthony’s attorney is using the Racial Bias Act to fight his conviction.

“What’s happening is simply wrong,” said Cleveland County Rep. Tim Moore.

Moore said next month he will launch an effort to end the moratorium. A previous effort was vetoed by the governor.

“We need to make sure we have the votes,” Moore said.

He said if they can’t get the votes, they will get a new governor because Bev Perdue is not running for re-election.

Belk wants to see the law changed soon.

Anthony’s attorney said he is seeking a new trial because the evidence does not match witness testimonies. He said the combination of prescription pills and alcohol affected Anthony’s judgment.

WSOC