A Georgia man tracked news of NASCAR driver Greg Biffle's death in a December plane crash, then broke into his Lake Norman estate and stole $30,000 in cash, two handguns and racing memorabilia, Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell announced Tuesday, Aug. 18.
Terrell Williams, 44, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, faces more than a dozen felony charges including second-degree burglary, safecracking, money laundering, possession of burglary tools, larceny of a firearm and obtaining property by false pretenses. He is being held without bond in Cobb County, Georgia, and will be extradited to North Carolina after prosecution on a separate Georgia burglary charge.
Biffle, 55, his wife Cristina Grossu, their two children Emma and Ryder, and three others died when Biffle's plane crashed at Statesville Regional Airport on Dec. 18, 2025. He won 19 Cup Series races and was named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023.
The burglary at Biffle's roughly 12,000-square-foot home on Doolie Road in Mooresville happened between 3 p.m. on Jan. 7 and 6 p.m. on Jan. 8, according to the Charlotte Observer, which first reported details of the investigation. Williams forced his way in, stealing cash, two Glock handguns, NASCAR championship rings, gold and silver coins, jewelry and multiple bags, authorities said. He spent several hours inside and knew where surveillance cameras were located, according to investigators.
Campbell said at a news conference in Statesville that investigators recovered a radio frequency detector they believe Williams used to find wireless security equipment inside the home.
"During the execution of our search warrants, investigators also recovered an RF or radio frequency detector," Campbell said. "This type of device can be used to locate cameras and otherwise wireless security equipment."
How investigators linked Williams
Cell phone data and GPS records placed Williams near Biffle's property at the time of the break-in, Campbell said. A license plate reader helped identify his vehicle registration. The evidence was clear.
Cobb County police arrested Williams on a separate burglary charge in early July and contacted the Iredell County Sheriff's Office on July 29 after finding a ring in Williams' possession that connected him to the Biffle case.
Campbell said Williams had a pattern of targeting homes he knew would be empty by monitoring social media and news headlines. He was also accused of burglarizing a Cobb County home connected to a "highly publicized homicide" using the same method.
Williams used some of the stolen cash to purchase a vehicle from a dealership, which was later seized in Georgia, Campbell said. Multiple stolen items, including championship rings and NASCAR memorabilia, have been returned to the Biffle family.
Separate bank fraud investigation continues
Campbell said a separate investigation into suspicious activity on Biffle's bank accounts remains active. Account information, including email addresses, phone numbers and passwords, was changed on Biffle's accounts at United Carolina Bank on Dec. 29, 2025, less than two weeks after the crash. A fraudulent check was cashed at a UCB branch in Columbia, South Carolina, the following day, and three more checks were attempted at other South Carolina branches.
Fraudulent activity also appeared on a Venmo account belonging to Grossu, according to a search warrant. Evidence showed multiple people had access to Biffle's account information, including Social Security numbers and passwords.
Williams was not charged in the bank fraud case. No arrests have been made, but Campbell said there is a person of interest and the investigation spans multiple states.
"This investigation is nowhere near over," Campbell said.
The sheriff's office is also investigating whether others were involved in the home burglary itself. Williams has been tied to multiple break-ins across western North Carolina under various aliases and also had a Charlotte address on Coronet Way, according to Queen City News.
