North Carolina man pleads guilty to 2018 murder and robbery, sentenced to 10 years

A North Carolina man pleaded guilty in connection to a 2018 fatal Loris shooting and a robbery and will serve time behind bars.

James Laverne Bellamy, 51, of Tabor City, N.C., pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact of murder and criminal conspiracy to commit armed robbery, according to a news release. For his role, Bellamy will serve 15 years in prison.

The charges stem from a robbery in 2018 at a Carolina Inn and a deadly shooting at a Food Lion in Longs that killed 57 year old Gerard Celentano.

“The victim was happy that someone is at least taking some responsibility for her husband’s murder,” Mary-Ellen Walter, senior assistant solicitor, said in the release.

Bellamy was convicted and sentenced for a separate robbery that happened in North Carolina that same year, according to The Sun News archives.

In March, Bellamy was extradited from Fair Bluff, North Carolina back to Horry County by U.S. Marshals with warrants of three separate armed robberies. Those charges have resolved.

The sentences will run concurrently, 10 years for the accessory charge and five for the conspiracy charge.

This story was originally published November 17, 2022 at 10:34 AM.