ASHEVILLE -- A Buncombe County Superior Court judge has sentenced 57-year-old Garland William Kuykendall Jr. to a minimum of 30 years in prison for the brutal 2024 killing of an elderly man in Asheville.
The sentencing, handed down by Judge Jacqueline Grant on Wednesday, follows a plea agreement in which Kuykendall pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. The court ordered a sentence of 360 to 444 months (30 to 37 years) to be served within the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction.
Details of the Incident
The case dates back to March 7, 2024, when Asheville Police Department officers were dispatched to the Compass Point Village apartments. While initial reports mentioned gunfire, arriving officers discovered a much more grim scene.
The victim, 72-year-old Robert Earl Griggs, was found deceased on the premises. Authorities later confirmed that Griggs had been beaten to death.
The Arrest and Legal Proceedings
Kuykendall was apprehended by police shortly after the incident, only a short distance from the apartment complex. At the time of his arrest, investigators noted:
Visible dried blood on his hands.
Bloodstains on the knee of his pants.
Though originally facing a charge of first-degree murder, Kuykendall opted for a plea agreement. By pleading guilty to the reduced charge of second-degree murder, he waived his right to a jury trial. He was placed into state custody immediately following the court proceedings to begin his sentence.