Kernersville man sentenced to nearly 36 years in prison for killing his mother

KERNERSVILLE, N.C. — A Kernersville man will spend nearly 36 years in prison after pleading guilty to killing his mother inside their home last year.

According to the Forsyth County District Attorney’s Office, Donald Ryan Fink pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree murder for the 2023 shooting death of his 65-year-old mother, Debra “Debbie” Fink.

On June 12, 2023, Kernersville police responded to a home at 511 Country Club Road after receiving a 911 call reporting a shooting and a possible break-in. Officers found Debbie Fink with a gunshot wound to the face. Despite life-saving efforts by firefighters, she died at the scene.

Her son, Donald Fink, told officers that someone had broken into the home and shot his mother. But investigators later determined that story was false. Detectives