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Jerry Inman South Carolina Death Row

Jerry Inman was sentenced to death by the State of South Carolina for the sexual assault and murder of a Clemson student. According to court documents Jerry Inman would sexually assault and then strangle to death Tiffany Marie Souers. Jerry Inman would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death

South Carolina Death Row Inmate List

Jerry Inman 2021 Information

Admission Date: 06/09/2006

Location: Broad River

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On the evening of May 25, 2006, Tiffany Marie Souers (the Victim), a rising junior at Clemson University, was alone in her off-campus apartment as her roommates were gone for the day. When one of her roommates returned to the apartment during the afternoon of May 26, 2006, she discovered the Victim’s partially-clad body on the bedroom floor. An autopsy revealed the Victim had been sexually assaulted and died as the result of asphyxia due to ligature strangulation with a bathing suit top.

Surveillance photographs taken during the early morning hours of May 26, 2006 captured a male, whose face was covered by a bandana, attempting to use the Victim’s ATM card at two different bank machines in Clemson.

On June 5, 2006, law enforcement was able to identify Inman as the Victim’s perpetrator based on DNA evidence obtained from the crime scene and processed through the National DNA Database, which had Inman’s DNA evidence on file due to his prior out-of-state convictions for sexual offenses in 1987 and 1988. Using this information, law enforcement conducted a well-publicized nationwide search for Inman. On June 6, 2006 at approximately 11:45 p.m., law enforcement apprehended Inman in Dandridge, Tennessee.

Shortly after his arrest, Inman orally confessed to the crimes involving the Victim. Within the course of the next three hours, Inman gave separate written statements to an agent with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and to agents with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED). In these two statements, Inman again confessed to the charged crimes and recounted in detail the events underlying these crimes. When asked to sign these statements, Inman declined and stated “we still have to go to court .”

Ultimately, Inman was extradited to South Carolina and detained in the Pickens County Detention Center where a DNA sample was taken from him and again conclusively matched to the DNA evidence recovered from the Victim and her apartment. Subsequently, a Pickens County grand jury indicted Inman for murder, kidnapping, first-degree criminal sexual conduct, and first-degree burglary. The Thirteenth Circuit Solicitor’s Office timely served Inman with its intent to seek the death penalty.³

After a circuit court judge determined that Inman was competent to stand trial,⁴ defense counsel filed a motion to determine the mode of trial. In the motion, counsel informed the judge of Inman’s intent to enter a guilty plea to the crimes and demand a jury trial for sentencing. After a hearing, the judge summarily denied the motion on the ground he was “constrained by the existing case law in South Carolina and the statutes.”

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/sc-supreme-court/1590056.html

Mar-Reece Hughes South Carolina Death Row

Mar-Reece Hughes was sentenced to death by the State of South Carolina for the murder of a police officer. According to court documents Mar-Reece Hughes would fatally shoot York County Sheriff’s Deputy Brent McCants during a traffic stop in 1992. Mar-Reece Hughes would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death.

South Carolina Death Row Inmate List

Mar-Reece Hughes 2021 Information

Admission Date: 09/25/1995

Location: Broad River

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On September 25, 1992, appellant and Eric Forney, armed with a gun, accosted two college students in the parking lot of a restaurant in Charlotte, North Carolina, and stole their car. The two men then drove to Rock Hill where Officer McCants stopped them for driving without headlights. McCants was shot several times and his police-issue walkie-talkie was taken from his belt as he lay on the side of the road. Appellant and Forney were apprehended shortly thereafter.

The State sought the death penalty against both appellant and Forney. They were tried separately. At his trial, Forney claimed appellant was the triggerman. Forney was convicted of murder, criminal conspiracy, and armed robbery and was acquitted of possession of a pistol during the commission of a violent crime. After the jury failed to return a unanimous verdict in the sentencing phase, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. This sentence was affirmed on appeal. State v. Forney, 321 S.C. 353, 468 S.E.2d 641 (1996).

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/sc-supreme-court/1434606.html

Ron Finklea South Carolina Death Row

Ron Finklea was sentenced to death by the State of South Carolina for the murder of Walter Sykes. According to court documents Ron Finklea was attempting to break into an ATM when security guard Walter Sykes interrupted him. Ron Finklea would shoot the security guard before setting him on fire. Ron Finklea would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death

South Carolina Death Row Inmate List

Ron Finklea 2021 Information

Admission Date: 09/07/2007

Location: Broad River

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urors will decide this week whether a man lives or dies after they found him guilty of shooting a security guard and setting him on fire while trying to rob an ATM at a Springdale plant.

The jury deliberated about two hours before finding Ron O’Neal Finklea guilty of murder, arson, attempted safe-breaking, criminal conspiracy and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

As of Wednesday, jurors have heard all the testimony in the penalty phase of the trial. Closing arguments will be Thursday morning.

Prosecutors say the 33-year-old Finklea shot Selectron security guard Walter Sykes Senior twice while trying to rob an automated teller machine in the plant in August 2003.

In court Tuesday, one of Sykes’ relatives testified, and jurors learned more about the security guard. Walter Sykes had a distinguished military career, loving wife, and adoring four children – including his oldest, Danielle. “He taught us respect and consideration for others.”

Jurors also saw security video of the murder. In the tape, you can see Sykes working his night shift. He lets in former employee Ron Finklea to use the ATM.

Seconds later, you can see what looks like a gun in Finklea’s hand as he looks around the room. Finklea goes into Sykes’ office. Investigators say Finklea shoots Sykes in the face and neck.

Then, Finklea brings in an accomplice carrying a red gasoline can. Finklea brings the gas can into the office where Sykes is struggling with gunshot wounds, and you can see the room light up in flames. Finklea runs out.

Then you see Sykes – on fire – running out of the building. Sykes died a short time later.

In court – prosecutors showed jurors his burned uniform that smells of gasoline.

Sykes’ boss James Banks, a fellow soldier, talked about going to Sykes’ funeral. “I saluted his body. It was a way to pay tribute to a fallen comrade.”

But nothing can erase what happened to the loved father. “I was and still am a daddy’s girl. And I just miss my daddy. I miss my daddy and I want my daddy back,” said Danielle.

https://www.wistv.com/story/7015749/jury-watches-surveillance-video-of-security-guards-murder/

William Dickerson South Carolina Death Row

William Dickerson was sentenced to death by the State of South Carolina for the sexual assault and murder of Gerard Roper. According to court documents William Dickerson believed that he saw Gerard Roper have sex with his girlfriend on video so he decided to torture, sexually assault and murder him. William Dickerson would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death

South Carolina Death Row Inmate List

William Dickerson 2021 Information

Admission Date: 05/07/2009

Location: Broad River

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A 32-year-old South Carolina man has been sentenced to death in a 2006 strangulation.

The Post and Courier of Charleston reports a Charleston County jury decided Thursday that William Dickerson should be put to death.

Dickerson was found guilty last week of murder, kidnapping and criminal sexual assault. Authorities say he wrongly thought Gerard Roper was the man he saw in a video having sex with his girlfriend.

Authorities say the 29-year-old Roper was tortured and sexually assaulted before he was strangled. Dickerson’s father was serving a life term for an unrelated murder. He died behind bars a few years ago.

Dickerson’s attorneys contended he was a scapegoat for others who killed Roper.

It was the first death penalty trial in Charleston County in five years.

Donnie Council South Carolina Death Row

Donnie Council was sentenced to death by the State of South Carolina for the sexual assault and murder of seventy two year old Elizabeth Gatti. According to court documents Donnie Council would sexually assault, murder Elizabeth Gatti before robbing her home. Donnie Council would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death

South Carolina Death Row Inmate List

Donnie Council 2021 Information

Admission Date: 10/23/1996

Location: Broad River

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Late Thursday afternoon, October 8, 1992, Evelyn Helminiak visited with her neighbor Elizabeth Gatti, a seventy-two year old widow. Mrs. Gatti was preparing dinner when Mrs. Helminiak arrived. The next day, another neighbor, Charles Fields, became concerned about Mrs. Gatti because her morning newspaper was still in the driveway and her car was gone. Mr. Fields testified Mrs. Gatti was a creature of habit who retrieved her newspaper every morning at 4:30 a.m., read the paper, and threw it over to Mr. Fields’ driveway by 8:00 a.m. so he could read it. When the newspaper was still in the driveway and the car was still gone on Friday evening, Mr. Fields called emergency services.

When the authorities entered Mrs. Gatti’s house, perishable food items were found on the kitchen counter. Several of the rooms in Mrs. Gatti’s house had been ransacked. Mrs. Gatti’s body was discovered underneath a bedspread in her basement. She had been hogtied with a white cord and layers of duct tape were wrapped around her entire head. Her clothes had been ripped, and the crotch of her underwear had been cut out. Surrounding her body were various bottles of cleaning fluids. Mrs. Gatti had been sexually assaulted.

Dr. Nichols, the pathologist who performed the autopsy on Mrs. Gatti, testified her body was covered with numerous lacerations and bruises, and someone had attempted to manually strangle her. Further, a gaping laceration extending from her vagina into the rectal area indicated penetration by a very stiff foreign object. Dr. Nichols testified the cause of death was asphyxiation due to mechanical suffocation as a result of the duct tape, and contributory to the cause of death was the ingestion and aspiration of cleaning fluids and the binding ligatures on the wrists. Dr. Nichols testified the aspiration indicated Mrs. Gatti was forced to drink the cleaning fluids. According to Dr. Nichols, Mrs. Gatti lived 2-4 hours after the vaginal/rectal injury occurred.

On October 11, 1992, the authorities found Mrs. Gatti’s car near an apartment complex where appellant sometimes stayed. Appellant was arrested for the crimes on October 12, 1992. In two separate statements, appellant admitted to being in Mrs. Gatti’s house on the night she was killed; however, he asserted he had gone to her house with a man identified as “Frankie J.” ³ APPELLANT DENIED ANY Wrongdoing; instead, he blamed the crimes on his companion. Appellant admitted, however, to SLED agent Wayne Mitchell that he had sexual intercourse with Mrs. Gatti. Further, appellant told SLED agent Danny Choate and Captain Wayne Huff, an investigator for the Aiken County Sheriff’s Department, that he had sex with Mrs. Gatti.

A shoeprint taken from a chair in Mrs. Gatti’s house was identified as matching shoes taken from appellant. Residue found on the chair positively matched debris found on appellant’s shoes. Fingerprints taken from Mrs. Gatti’s car and from items in her car were identified as belonging to appellant. Hair samples taken from appellant were consistent with hairs found in Mrs. Gatti’s home. Semen taken from a tissue in Mrs. Gatti’s house was consistent with appellant’s semen. Several items identified as belonging to Mrs. Gatti were found in appellant’s girlfriend’s apartment.

Appellant’s girlfriend’s cousin, Earthlene Danley, testified she was in Mrs. Gatti’s car with appellant the day after Mrs. Gatti’s murder and had been with appellant when he went to a bank drive-thru in North Augusta and cashed a check he took from the glove compartment of Mrs. Gatti’s car. Further, the testimony of bank employees and handwriting experts established appellant had forged three of Mrs. Gatti’s checks and cashed them at various banks.

Mrs. Gatti’s newspaper carrier positively identified appellant as the man she saw leaving Mrs. Gatti’s house in the early morning hours of Friday, October 9, 1992.

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/sc-supreme-court/1185478.html