Today in Brunswick County Superior Court, Torrence Helms (32) pled guilty to two
counts of First Degree Murder, one count of Attempted First Degree Murder, one count of
Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon, and one count of Fleeing to Elude Arrest.
Helms was charged with the January 9, 2019 murders of Dennis Rowell (66) and Theresa
Rowell (55) of Shallotte and with the attempted murder of their 19-year-old daughter. Helms,
who was considered a family friend, had been staying with the Rowells at the time of the
incident. Holmes left the home after midnight and went with a friend to South Carolina to
purchase and smoke crack cocaine. Holmes returned to the residence around 4:00 a.m.
At approximately 4:40 a.m., the daughter, who was stabbed multiple times by Helms, was
able to escape from the house and call 911. During the call she reported that she had awoken to
Helms stabbing her parents. Helms fled the residence in a black Kia owned by the Rowells.
Deputies with the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office spotted the vehicle while en-route to the
Shallotte home and began pursuing the vehicle while other deputies and officers from nearby
agencies responded to the home. In his attempt to escape apprehension, Helms reached speeds in
excess of 100 MPH but lost control of the stolen vehicle after deputies executed a PIT (pursuit
intervention technique) maneuver. The stolen vehicle caught fire after striking several trees.
Helms fled the scene on foot but was apprehended shortly thereafter in the woods nearby and
taken into custody where he has remained since the incident.
Helms received an active sentence of 207-261 months for the Attempted Murder charge,
followed by a life sentence for the murder of Dennis Rowell, followed by a second life sentence
for the murder of Theresa Rowell.
Results such as these are only possible because of the hard work and determination of the
Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office and all of our law enforcement partners.
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