Lewis died of cracked skull, slit throat

An Onslow County woman killed late last year died of a cracked skull, broken face and a slit throat, according to autopsy reports made public Tuesday.

Vickie Lewis, 43, had been missing for two weeks when the Onslow County Sheriff's Department discovered her body in a shallow grave behind an Edgewater Drive home on Dec. 6, 2008.

"Given the autopsy and investigative findings, it is my opinion the cause of death in this case is blunt force injuries of the head and an incised wound of the neck," Dr. Deborah L. Radisch, the forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy, noted in her report.

Beside the blunt force trauma to Lewis' head and multiple stab wounds in the chest and throat area, she also suffered a broken finger, a stab wound in the left thigh and a bite wound on the right forearm, according to the autopsy released by the N.C. State Medical Examiner's Office.

Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown said the number and extent of the wounds suffered by Lewis shows the "vicious and brutal nature" of her death.

"One blow can kill," Brown said. "This was overkill if you know what I mean."

Albert Bedford, 54, of Reindeer Circle in Midway Park, was charged with an open count of murder in Lewis' death.

Lewis' family confirmed that Lewis and Bedford, both married to other people, were romantically involved.

Sheriff's detectives say Bedford killed Lewis in his 2001 Ford Econoline van and buried her in his daughter's backyard on Nov. 24, 2008. Earlier that month, Lewis had warrants drawn on Bedford for communicating threats, stealing her car keys and threatening her with a knife.

Lewis tested positive for cocaine and had a blood alcohol content of 30 mg/dL, equivalent to 0.03 on a breathalyzer test at the time of her death, according to toxicology reports attached to the autopsy. The legal driving limit in North Carolina is 0.08.

Bedford remains in the Onslow County Jail without bond. He has a court appearance scheduled for Monday.

Contact Lindell Kay at 910-219-8456. Read his blog at http://onslowcrime.encblogs.com.