'Bully and a coward’: Man accused of raping wife, killing her parents pleads guilty

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A man accused of raping and beating his estranged wife and then murdering her parents will spend the rest of his life in prison after pleading guilty.

Vurnel Smith Jr. was convicted after entering the plea in court on Thursday. Smith, 43, pled guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and first-degree rape.

Channel 9 has been following this case since July 2017.

That’s when police said Smith knocked his wife unconscious with a pipe, tied her up, raped her and terrorized her family in their north Charlotte home for a day and a half.

Smith is accused of killing Jacqueline Gordon-White and her husband, Rufus Gordon, before driving away from the home.

According to the district attorney’s office, on July 25, 2017, Smith’s wife was leaving work and tried to call her parents but could not reach them. She became concerned, and when she arrived at home, she found Smith, who had broken into the house.

He attacked her with a metal pole, so she ran to the door, screaming for help, but Smith pulled her back inside. He then knocked her unconscious, and when she woke up, she was bound to a bed. Over the course of the next two days, Smith repeatedly raped her, prosecutors said.

Two days later, Smith told his wife he was going to buy some camping equipment and live in the woods. He checked her restraints to ensure they were tight and then left the home. After struggling for 20-30 minutes to loosen her bindings, she freed herself. That is when she found her mother dead in another bedroom.

She couldn’t find her stepfather, and fearing that Smith may return to the house at any minute, she drove herself to a local hospital in her stepfather’s car and reported what Smith had done.

When police got to the home, they found blood inside, according to the district attorney’s office. They soon found Rufus Gordon in the trunk of the car that had been driven to the hospital.

The medical examiner found that both Gordon and White-Gordon died as a result of strangulation.

Double homicide suspect claims he blacked out, has no recollection of crime Double homicide suspect claims he blacked out, has no recollection of crime

"You’re a bully and a coward. You beat a 70-year-old man and a 65-year-old woman that only wanted to be nice to you,” the victims’ granddaughter Jahnice White said in court Thursday.

Smith’s ex-wife also spoke in court about the terror she endured.

"At one point, he told me to stop bleeding on him, as if I could stop the blood he created,” the victim said.

Prosecutors said Smith and his wife lived with her parents, who had just moved to Charlotte, on Red Clay Lane. Officials said they kicked him out six days before the murders because he was physically abusive.

Smith spoke in court, attacking his ex.

“If I’m a monster, she created it. The torture and abuse this woman put me through the past two years is immeasurable,” Smith said. “She just got caught. That’s what caused the argument that Friday night. She got caught with another man.”

Prosecutors were seeking the death penalty against Smith. By accepting the plea deal, he will get two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole and 25 years for rape.

Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com:

· Lincolnton police find $310K-worth of cocaine during traffic stop

· Charlotte Councilwoman announces she’s running for NC State Treasurer

· Sources: City agrees to provide $110M for MLS team, invites to be sent out for announcement

· WATCH: Tensions rise when councilman’s speech about murdered friend interrupted

· Cam Newton resting after surgery on injured foot

© 2019 Cox Media Group