SALISBURY POST
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SERIES froM 1a Barber said the crew seemed to be mesmerized that he owned a farm and cows, and that he fed his cows daily. Barber’s seen “Nightmare Next Door” before, he said. “It’s very interesting,” he said. “It would be a good training tool for investigators to look at to get ideas on how they work cases.” Loritts was murdered July 11, 2005, in the Scales Street home where she lived with Weeks and her mother, Angela Johnson Weeks. Weeks told investigators he found Loritts lying in her bed stabbed in the neck when he returned home that afternoon for paperwork related to his father’s construction business. But Weeks quickly became the target of the investigation and was arrested Aug. 16, 2005. Authorities charged Weeks with first-degree murder and subsequently with first-degree rape, and prosecutors said they would seek the death penalty if he was convicted. In January 2008, Weeks entered an Alford plea, which allows defendants to avoid admitting guilt while acknowledging prosecutors have enough evidence to obtain a conviction. A judge sentenced Weeks to between nine and 12 years in prison. During the 15 hours of filming and interviews for the TV show, Barber said, he revealed details that no one has ever heard. After Weeks was sentenced, Barber went to see
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reginald Weeks was sentenced to between nine and 12 years in prison in 2008. him in the Rowan County jail. “My curiosity was killing me,” Barber said. “Right after he pled guilty I went over and made him a visit in the jail.” Barber said he wanted to ask Weeks if Loritts’ mother was involved at all in her murder. “We had problems with Brittany’s mother not cooperating at all,” Barber said. Weeks began crying, the detective recalled, and said, “the only thing that she is guilty of is loving me too much,” Barber said. He said Weeks told him in detail what happened July 11, 2005, in the family’s Scales Street home, and he admitted to things he hadn’t before, such as having sex with Loritts. “What a lot of people don’t know, Reggie Weeks never admitted to us during the investigation he had taken part in that,” Barber said. “We knew all along he was wanting to. He had been wanting to tell it for years.” On the day of Loritts’ murder, Barber said, Weeks told
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salisbury police detective Brent hall gets a cue from Martin filfil, director of photography, as chris Brown, the sound mixer, and chad cowart, the grip, take part in filming of ‘Nightmare Next door’ for the investigation discovery channel. him he argued with his stepdaughter. “He had taken a coat hanger,” Barber said. “And at some point in time, he didn’t say when, he took the coat hanger and started strangling her with it.” Barber said police knew the coat hanger was one of the weapons Weeks used. “He choked her so much that she passed out,” Barber said. “He actually thought he
had killed her.” Barber said Weeks told him he went into the kitchen and got a paring knife and stabbed Loritts in the neck “to make it look like something else.” “That was the wound that killed her,” Barber said. Barber said Weeks told him he didn’t rape Loritts the day he killed her, but he did something to her so that investigators would think she was
raped. Investigators did not find Weeks’ DNA on Loritts, according to court testimony. In addition to Barber, the show will feature interviews about the case with Hall, the Salisbury police detective; State Bureau of Investigations Agent Steven Holmes; Brittany’s half-sister, Asti; and others. Barber said he always thought this particular case
would make a great show. In fact, he said, the first time he saw “Nightmare Next Door,” he thought of Brittany Loritts and Reginald Weeks. Three weeks later, he got a call from producers. “It was enjoyable,” Barber said. “You don’t get a chance to do that very often.” The episode of “Nightmare Next Door” focusing on the Loritts murder is expected to air sometime this summer.
Time Warner chief ousts leader of magazine division after just five months on the job NEW YORK (AP) — Jack Griffin has been ousted as chairman and CEO of Time Warner Inc.’s magazine division after just five months on the job, because his leadership style apparently didn’t suit his boss. “Although Jack is an extremely accomplished executive, I concluded that his leadership style and approach did not mesh with Time Inc. and Time Warner,” Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes wrote in a Thursday memo to employees explaining his decision. associated press Griffin, 50, had been hired time, sports illustrated and in September to lead Time people all had more revenue Inc., a division that oversees some of the nation’s top maglast year for time Warner.
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azines, including Time, Sports Illustrated and People. He previously had been an executive at Meredith Corp., the owner of Better Homes and Garden and Ladies’ Home Journal. He left that company in August with a $1.4 million severance package, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Bewkes said three Time Inc. executives, including editor-in-chief John Huey, will run the division until he hires Griffin’s successor. The other executives temporarily in
charge include Howard Averill, Time Inc.’s chief financial officer, and Maurice Edelson, Time Inc.’s general counsel. Griffin’s arrival at the company had seemed welltimed, given that the magazine industry was just starting to pull out of a prolonged slump brought on by a steep
downturn in advertising. Time, Sports Illustrated and People all brought in more ad revenue last year, with the increases ranging between 2 percent and 9 percent, according to the Publishers Information Bureau. The magazines are trying to generate more revenue by
selling digital copies on computer tablets and mobile phones. “With our deep and talented pool of employees, I’m confident that during this transitional period Time Inc. will continue to grow and prosper,” Bewkes assured employees Thursday.
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SALISBURY — Chrystal Byrd Stirewalt, 80, of Salisbury, died Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011, at Rowan Regional Medical Center. Born June 16, 1930, in Rowan County, she was the daughter of the late S.M. and Julia Swaringen Stirewalt. She was educated in East Spencer schools and graduated from East Spencer High School and Lenoir-Rhyne College, Hickory. Miss Stirewalt was a retired elementary school teacher for Salisbury/Rowan School System, having taught at the Faith, Hurley and Overton Elementary schools. She was a member of Main Street United Methodist Church and Order of the Eastern Star. She is survived by her cousins, Bitsy Dupree and husband Ed of Faith, Jerrell Lowder of Faith, Wayne Moore and wife Renee of Salisbury, Peggy Moore of Salisbury, Jody Moore of Faith, Lindy Sifford of Kure Beach, Gennene Parker and husband Jimmy of Rockwell; and friend Johnny Lewis of Salisbury. Service and Visitation: Graveside services will be conducted 11 a.m. Saturday (Feb. 19) at Rowan Memorial Park with Rev. Jerry Snipes officiating. The family will speak to friends following the graveside service. Memorials: May be made to the Order of the Eastern Star, Chapter 31, c/o Betty Chunn, Secretary, 1960 Hollywood Drive, Salisbury, NC 28144. Summersett Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be made at www.summersettfuneralhome.com
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