WILSON, N.C. (WNCN) — A man accused of killing a five-year-old boy in Wilson was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Thursday morning, according to the Wilson County District Attorney’s Office.
The District Attorney’s Office said Darius Sessoms pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the August 2020 shooting death of five-year-old Cannon Hinnant.
The death penalty was also a possibility after a judge ruled in October that the case would be tried as a capital murder case.
In October’s pre-trial hearing, one witness testified that she saw the murder happen. She said Hinnant was in his driveway on his bike at the time when Sessoms ran over, put a gun against his head and pulled the trigger.
The community has since come together to remember him.
In July of 2021, a playground was renovated in Hinnant’s honor.
In August of 2021, one year after Hinnant’s death, about 100 people wore orange — his favorite color — and released lanterns into the sky over the park.
“Trying to adjust to life without Cannon, it’s been hard,” said his mother, Bonny Parker, at the vigil. “It’s been hard on us. His sisters who witnessed this, they’ve been going through a really hard time, but remembering Cannon every single day and talking about him every day helps us.”
