Greensboro, NC -- A jury returned with a death penalty sentence against a man accused in a 2006 rape and murder case.
Tony Summers was found guilty on March 14 on charges of first degree murder, two counts of rape and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, four counts of kidnapping and one burglary count.
Summers raped and murdered Lavell Williams in 2006, while her three children were at home. He also stabbed the woman's two daughters. Her son wasn't harmed.
Police credited one of the daughters with helping save her and her sister's life. In 2006, Captain Gary Hastings, who has since retired from the Greensboro Police Department, said the daughter was able to break free at a very strong risk to her life and to get outside the apartment and get help.
She told investigators a horrifying story. She and her 11-year-old sister had been stabbed, her mother killed, all with her 5-year-old brother in the house. At one point police said someone in the home made a 911 call but the line went dead.
An officer was sent to investigate but didn't see anything that raise concerns. The girls told police during the investigation, they could see the officer, who shined his flash light in a window. They said Summers threatened to kill them if they made noise so they kept quiet.
Investigators said they believe Summers, who is a registered sex offender, entered the home through an unlocked front window.
WFMY News 2