Murder victim's sister reads murderer's letter

GASTON COUNTY, N.C.,None — A Gaston County woman watched the taped confession of her sister’s accused killer for the first time.

Shellie Nations asked to see Danny Hembree’s murder confession, but turned away when it became too much for her.

Soon, Hembree will stand trial for Randi Saldana’s murder. Last year, he was convicted of killing another woman.

From Death Row, he wrote a letter mocking the justice system less than two weeks ago. Now, Saldana’s sister has a copy of the letter and talked about the impact it has on the victim’s family.

“This is like a laugh in my family’s face. He’s already done the worst. He’s taken the only sister I have. How much worse can it get?” Nations asked. “I get up every day and look at Randi’s boys and know that their mother is gone.”

She said the letter is a shock, and letters like it are a threat to victims' families that state lawmakers should take action to prevent them from having to endure.

“Who expects to be taunted by a North Carolina inmate and it be legal? Who expects that? If he can do that, what else can he do?” she asked.

She tried to watch video of Hembree walking through his home, pointing out where Saldana had been. Moments into that video, she had to stop.

Now, Nations plans to fight to make sure Hembree gets the death penalty or stays in prison for the rest of his life.

Either way, she is confident justice will prevail.
"God will know what he's done and he will be punished. It won't have four walls and it will be a living hell… a living hell," she said.

Nations is not the only person upset by Hembree’s letters.

Last week, state Rep. Larry Pittman of Concord said in a statement that he thought the state’s prison system would be a much greater deterrent if officials actually executed inmates on Death Row.

WSOC