Local
Judge orders competency evaluation for suspect in 2008 Concord double homicide
A Cabarrus County judge has ordered Jonny Talbert to undergo an evaluation at Central Regional Hospital after questions arose about his ability to stand trial. Talbert is charged in the deaths of two people at Concord’s Sun Drop Bottling Company in 2008.
A Cabarrus County judge has ordered a psychiatric evaluation for Jonny Talbert, the man charged in the 2008 killings of Donna Barnhardt and Darrell Noles at a Concord bottling company.
Court documents say the order was issued Tuesday, Oct. 13, because Talbert’s ability to stand trial is in question. He is to spend no more than 60 days at Central Regional Hospital in Butner for observation and treatment. The hospital’s director will submit a written report on his mental state.
Talbert, 43, faces two counts of first-degree murder and a charge of robbery with a dangerous weapon. The charges stem from a shooting at the Sun Drop Bottling Company on Old-Salisbury Concord Road on June 13, 2008.
Police said Barnhardt, 59, was the company’s longtime office manager, and Noles, 44, was at the facility applying for a job. An arrest warrant alleges Talbert shot and killed them and took $9,905.42 from the company’s front office. The allegations have not been proven in court.
Authorities said a renewed review of evidence and previously undeveloped leads helped investigators identify Talbert in December 2025. Port Angeles police arrested him in Washington on May 21, and he was returned to North Carolina in August.
The competency evaluation will inform the court’s consideration of whether Talbert can proceed to trial; it does not determine his guilt or innocence.