Family members say Darius Pulley offered his 14-year-old nephew money for sexual acts. The North Carolina Beat reviewed alleged messages and obtained a statement from Pulley.
A Raleigh, North Carolina family is calling for accountability after they say a man tried to pay his own 14-year-old nephew for sexual acts — and now alleged messages and an apology are making rounds within the family.
The North Carolina Beat spoke directly with multiple relatives involved, and what they shared is utterly disturbing.
WHAT THE FAMILY SAYS HAPPENED
According to family members, the incident happened on Friday, March 13, when a man identified as 35-year-old Darius Pulley allegedly asked his teenage nephew to come help him move.
The 14-year-old agreed — but family says the situation turned inappropriate.
Relatives tell The North Carolina Beat that Pulley allegedly showed the teen a message on his phone offering money in exchange for sexual activity.
One family member recalled the message, saying it read:
“I didn’t call you over here to help me move… I called you over here to see if you’ll let me mess with you. I got $40 if you do it, and next time I’ll give you more when I get paid.”
TEXTS BETWEEN SIBLINGS: “I WAS HIGH… I DON’T KNOW WHAT I WAS THINKING”
The situation escalated after the teen reportedly told his mother, identified as Betty Jean Johnson.
Family members provided The NC Beat with messages they say were exchanged between Johnson and her brother.
In those messages, Pulley appears to admit wrongdoing and apologize:
“Don’t tell nobody… I’m sorry. I was high as hell. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
Johnson allegedly responded:
“Sorry brother but I already called the police. Get off that shit.”
Pulley replied:
“Why… I can’t get in trouble. Please don’t call them.”
At one point, Johnson allegedly told him directly:
“Because you tried to f*** your own nephew.”
Pulley continued apologizing in the messages, saying he had “learned his lesson,” but Johnson didn’t appear convinced.
FAMILY CALLS OUT MOTHER’S RESPONSE
One relative told The North Carolina Beat that when she spoke with Johnson about the situation, she was shocked by her response after the cousin said she wanted to curse Darius out.
According to the cousin, Johnson allegedly said she wanted to wait before confronting her brother so she could use his food stamp card first.
“She was like, ‘No, let me use his food stamp card first before I [The Cousin] curse him out.’
DARIUS PULLEY SPEAKS TO NC BEAT
When contacted by The North Carolina Beat, Pulley did not deny sending the messages — or that he solicited the minor for $40, but insisted nothing physical happened.
“First off, I don’t know how you got my number, but I wasn’t in my right state of mind when this happened. I would really appreciate it if my name stayed out of this. I’m working on getting help. Nothing happened.”
In a second message, he added:
“I would never want to hurt someone. I wasn’t clearly thinking. Yes, I messed up, and now I’m trying to fix it by getting sober, no more drugs, and getting help dealing with things from my past—learning to forgive those who hurt me, so I’m stepping back from everything.”
Family members say they want justice and believe the situation should be taken seriously — especially given the age of the child involved.
