Jury convicts two men in the brutal stabbing death of Mary Collins in NoDa apartment

CHARLOTTE, N.C. –  On Monday, a jury found two men guilty of first-degree murder in the brutal killing of 20-year-old Mary Collins. A Mecklenburg County judge immediately sentenced Lavi Pham and James Salerno to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Jurors also found both men guilty of first-degree kidnapping and concealing a death in the 2020 killing.

Prosecutors proved that Collins, who lived with developmental delays, was lured to a NoDa apartment, beaten, and stabbed more than 130 times before her body was hidden inside a mattress.

A third suspect, Kelly Lavery, previously pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and is serving up to 32 years. A fourth suspect is scheduled for trial in December.