Rita Y. Shuler - Carolina Crimes: Case Files of a Forensic Photographer

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC 29403

www.historypress.net

Copyright 2006 by Rita Y. Shuler

All rights reserved

Cover Images: SLED case files.

First published 2006; Second printing 2007; Third printing 2010

e-book edition 2012

ISBN-13 978.1.61423.335.0

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Shuler, Rita Y.

Carolina crimes : files from a forensic photographer / Rita Y. Shuler.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

print edition ISBN 1-59629-166-4 (alk. paper)

1. Murder--South Carolina--Case studies. 2. Crime--South Carolina. 3. Criminals--South Carolina. 4. Legal photography--South Carolina. 5. South Carolina. Law Enforcement Division. I. Title.

HV6533.S6S58 2006

363.25952309757--dc22

2006016764

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Sickness is a condition. Evil is a behavior. Evil is always a matter of choice. Evil is not thought: it is conduct, and that conduct is always volitional. And just as evil is always a choice; Sickness is always the absence of choice. Sickness happens. Evil is inflicted.

Andrew Vachss

Andrew Vachss is an attorney who represents children and youth exclusively. A complete bibliography and comprehensive resources on child protection may be found at his dedicated website: www.vachss.com

In memory of my mama and daddy who gave me life and raised me right.

To Chase, my grandnephew and crabbin-buddy. May he always love life and be as happy as I have been.

Contents

Acknowledgements

The stories told in this book are a part of South Carolinas history. Some segments of interviews, statements, court transcripts and published articles have been edited to facilitate reading.

First and foremost my deepest thanks to my very dear friend, Kathleen Thornley, for her support, patience, encouragement and for always being there when I needed that extra push to stay on track. Her advice and timeless hours of proofreading helped me bring it all together.

Very special thanks to my family and friends for believing in me and encouraging me all along the way, and Bill Conklin, my mentor and special friend over the years, for giving me the encouragement to keep going strong.

Special thanks to my first South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) crime scene team who took me under their wings from day one and showed me the ropes: Lieutenant Dan DeFreese, who always had the right answer for me, Lieutenant Ira Parnell, Lieutenant Jim Springs, Lieutenant Bill Anderson, Lieutenant Mickey Dawson, Agent Jeff Darling, Terry Glenn and Gail Duke.

My personal thanks to SLED agents Captain David Caldwell and Lieutenant Roy Paschal for their assistance, and for our many conversations when we really needed to talk.

Conversations with retired SLED agents, Major Jim Wilson and Captain Walter Powell, provided me with much of SLEDs history as well as some very interesting war stories, some of which I thought safer not to include.

I sincerely appreciate Joel W. Townsend Jr. and Oren L. Brady Jr. for sharing their fathers information with me.

Conversations with Wanda Summers and Debra Helmick Johnson offered me much personal insight for their stories.

I am particularly indebted to Janet Meyer, librarian of the South Carolina Supreme Court for her patience and expertise in assisting me with the South Carolina death penalty statutes and appeals process.

Former and present SLED agents helped me with pertinent information of the cases and forensic procedures to help put it all together: Chuck Counts, Don Girndt, Lieutenant Skeet Perry, Lieutenant Ken Habben, Major Steve Smith, Lieutenant Ira Parnell, Captain David Caldwell, Lieutenant Tom Darnell, Captain Larry Gainey, Lieutenant Emily Rhinehart, Inspector Richard Hutton, Lieutenant Gaile Heath, Lieutenant Hoss Horton, Agents John Christy, Dan DeFreese, Diane Bodie, Kerri McClary, Joe Leatherman, Vello Paavel and David Black.

My thanks to the following for assisting me with obtaining the investigative case files, court transcripts and other significant information: SLED agents and personnel, Captain Teresa Woods; Lieutenant Mike Brown; Lieutenant William Skip Whitmire; Sebrena Matthews; Cindy Dudley; Tammy Rawls; Mary Perry; Pat K. Martin and Denise Eargle; from the Richland County Solicitors Office, former Solicitor Knox McMann, Debra Moore, Catherine Dievendorf and Thomas Amos; from the Lexington County Solicitors Office, Solicitor Donnie Myers; from the Aiken County Solicitors Office, Solicitor Barbara Morgan, Investigator Norwood Bodie and Stephanie Powers; from the Clarendon County Solicitors Office, Deputy Solicitor Ferrell Cothran Jr. and Carole Bartlete; from the office of attorney general of South Carolina, Chief Deputy Attorney General Don Zelenka and librarian Susan Husman; Dr. Joel Sexton, forensic pathologist, Newberry County Memorial Hospital; Dr. Sandra Conradi, forensic pathologist, Medical University of South Carolina; Lennie Hicks, former investigator with Richland County Sheriffs Office; Bruce Jernigan, former instructor with South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy; Lieutenant Doug Richway, Manning Police Department; Lieutenant Bobby McLean, Lake View Police Department; Sheriff James Metts, Lexington County Sheriffs Office; Sheriff Harold Grice, Dillon County Sheriffs Office; Sheriff Bill Coffey, Spartanburg County Sheriffs Office; Kathi Turner, Georgetown County Sheriffs Office; Dennis Patterson and Sharon Small, South Carolina Department of Corrections; Amanda Stone, South Carolina State Library; Bill Rogers, executive director, South Carolina Press Association; Assistant Chief Joseph Graham, Kingstree Police Department.

Even when faced with the murderous madness of criminals and in the presence of the silent agony of their victims, it is incumbent upon us to choose between escape and solidarity, shame and honor.

Elie Wiesel

Authors Note

Many times I am asked, How did you do it? How did you live with it every day? How did you separate your work from your personal life? How did you sleep at night?

I am a runner. I get out early mornings and get much physical and mental reward from my runs. Each day signals a new adventure, a new sensation and simply just another day to love life. I found myself almost feeling guilty when I went into work feeling so good. Running put me more in tune with my senses than I had ever been before, and it is a major part of my peacefulness with my life.

Some things I could leave in the lab and get back to later; some I could not. Some went home with me at night; but that was all a part of it. I had an intense passion for my work and an inner peace within myself where I could go and escape the bad and evilfor a while. I got used to them, but I never got over them.

As I worked with the cases, I would go through stages of anger and sadness. They got into my head. They got into my heart. Yes, they bothered me, but it would have bothered me more had I not felt something.