Prosecutors won’t seek death penalty against ‘mastermind' of Steele Creek man’s killing

Prosecutors announced Oct. 29 they won’t seek the death penalty against one of three men accused of murdering a man in his Steele Creek home in July.

Peter Gould is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon and several other charges in the death of 64-year-old David Doyle, who lived in RiverPointe neighborhood. Doyle was tied to a chair with a parachute cord, then tortured and killed.

Gould was Doyle’s gardener, and was the mastermind behind a plan to make off with the stash of precious metal Doyle told him about, Gould’s lawyer has said. The affair was intended to be “nothing more than a burglary,” Gould’s attorney said in September, but things got out of hand.

Doyle, a Wyoming car dealer who had retired to Charlotte, told family members political bickering and recent government shutdowns showed how untrustworthy the government could be. He told neighbors – sometimes minutes after meeting them – he was stockpiling gold in his $400,000 home.

Two other men, Daniel Blakeney, 35, and his brother, 31-year-old Tardra Bouknight, are also charged with murder, kidnapping and assault. Search warrants say the men hit Doyle over the head with a vase, burned him and stabbed him with a knife.

This story was originally published October 29, 2015 at 2:02 PM with the headline "Prosecutors won’t seek death penalty against ‘mastermind' of Steele Creek man’s killing."