{"id":32254,"date":"2022-05-30T01:37:59","date_gmt":"2022-05-30T01:37:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/?p=32254"},"modified":"2022-05-30T01:37:59","modified_gmt":"2022-05-30T01:37:59","slug":"updated-two-charged-in-childs-death-one-sought-murder-suspect-claims-he-was-threatened-crime-courts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/2022\/05\/30\/updated-two-charged-in-childs-death-one-sought-murder-suspect-claims-he-was-threatened-crime-courts\/","title":{"rendered":"UPDATED: Two charged in child\u2019s death, one sought; murder suspect claims he was threatened | Crime & Courts"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Two people are in custody in the shooting death of 6-year-old Winston O\u2019Conner Hunter, Orangeburg County Sheriff Leroy Ravenell announced during a press conference held on Sunday on the steps of the Orangeburg County Courthouse.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI promised them that those cowards that killed Winston would be brought to justice \u2013 \u2018cowards,\u2019 just in case you missed that,\u201d Ravenell said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Ethan Thorne Anderson, 19, of West Columbia was taken into custody on Friday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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He is being held at the Orangeburg County Detention Center on the charge of murder, three counts of attempted murder and four counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Authorities in Ontario County, New York took a 17-year-old male into custody on Friday. The 17-year-old and another person were in Anderson\u2019s vehicle at the time they were taken into custody.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The 17-year-old will be charged as an adult with murder, Ravenell said. His name has not yet been released.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Investigators are also seeking Michael Lloyd, 20, a Hispanic white male, on the charge of murder, Ravenell said. Lloyd stands 5-foot-2 and weighs 180 pounds.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Investigators don\u2019t believe Lloyd is in South Carolina, Ravenell said. Law enforcement agencies around the country are searching for him.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Ravenell alleges Anderson, Lloyd and the not-yet-named 17-year-old were in Anderson\u2019s 2012 Chrysler 200 when shots were fired from three separate firearms into Hunter\u2019s home in Woodford.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Ravenell said there is no connection between Hunter\u2019s family and those charged in his death.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Authorities believe they have recovered two of the three weapons used in the shooting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Within a few days after Hunter\u2019s death, Ravenell announced that Joshua Devon Pettus of Henry Road, Neeses, was a person of interest in the case.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Pettus turned himself in to authorities last week. He\u2019s not been charged in Hunter\u2019s death.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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On Sunday, Ravenell said Pettus remains a person of interest.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Pettus is facing multiple forgery charges in Orangeburg, Aiken and Barnwell counties. He\u2019s appeared in court on those charges in each of those counties in the past several days, online court records show.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Ravenell said more charges and arrests may be forthcoming.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cAnyone who has any knowledge of this crime and doesn\u2019t come forward, they will be charged,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cAs you can tell, I think I\u2019m more p – – – ed than I am hot. I really am,\u201d Ravenell said as the sun beamed through a wide blue sky.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWe didn\u2019t have to be here, but we\u2019re here simply because some individuals got together in West Columbia, South Carolina and decided to ride to Woodford or North to make a buy or robbery\u201d of marijuana, he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIt all leads back to marijuana,\u201d Ravenell said, noting that both he and S.C. Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel have been fighting against legalization of the substance in the state.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cNow, 6-year-old Winston and his family\u2019s house was shot up accidentally,\u201d Ravenell said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Keel spoke at the press conference, saying \u201cThis is such a senseless tragedy that we\u2019re seeing all too often in our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWhen I saw the first picture of Winston, it took me back to my two boys when they were 6 years old and playing Little League baseball,\u201d Keel said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cAnd I remember the joy that they had putting on that uniform and playing that sport and I also remember the joy that I had watching that child play. I can\u2019t imagine what this family is experiencing right now and what they\u2019re going through,\u201d Keel added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIn cases like this, these officers, these men and women, they look at these children as if they\u2019re their own and they will not be satisfied until we have justice for Winston,\u201d Keel said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI\u2019ve been talking about this for the past few years. We have a significant violent crime problem in our state. Law enforcement cannot fix this problem by ourselves. We cannot fix it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cLast year, I reported in 2020 that we had the highest number of murders in our state \u2013 558 \u2013 that\u2019s ever been recorded since we\u2019ve been keeping records in 1960. We saw a 22.1 percent increase in murder from 2019 to 2020 and 9.2 percent increase in aggravated assaults, 52.9 percent increase in murder over five years,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThat\u2019s unprecedented. We all have to work together. It begins with our families, parents, our churches, educational communities, law enforcement, mental health community, social services, the courts, judges, prosecutors, public defenders. Until we all come together and work together, we\u2019re not going to solve this problem we have right now. It is the criminal justice system and we have to have it working together in order for it to be successful,\u201d Keel said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Ravenell said investigators got a break in the case after they were able to get a better description of the vehicle they were seeking.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Within a few days after Hunter\u2019s death, investigators circulated a photo of a car that was spotted on a main highway near Hunter\u2019s McClain Street home moments before and after the shooting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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SLED\u2019s Fusion Center was later able to narrow the vehicle down to a 2011-2014 silver Chrysler 200.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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After news media reported investigators were seeking the specific type of car on Thursday, Ravenell received a call from a law enforcement agency in New York City the next day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThe vehicle was stopped in New York. They called us with some information. About an hour later, we were in West Columbia with the owner of that vehicle. He was brought in, questioned and taken into custody,\u201d Ravenell said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Ravenell identified Anderson as the owner of the car.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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During Anderson\u2019s arraignment on Sunday afternoon, he told the court, \u201cWhen we were on the way to do such act, I was told if I didn\u2019t act, I would be killed. I was told if I reported my vehicle stolen, I would be killed.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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OCSO Sgt. LaKesha Gillard told the court that Anderson confessed to the shooting and implicated the other suspects.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Orangeburg County Magistrate Bob Lake set bond at $40,000 for Anderson\u2019s four charges of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, but deferred setting bond on three counts of attempted murder and one count of murder to a circuit judge at a later date.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Anderson\u2019s first appearance in General Sessions Court is scheduled for July 25.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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First Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe provided a statement about the arrests in the case.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThe only comment I have regarding the defendants charged in this case is that each of them is presumed innocent in our justice system, however, I do have a brief statement for the family of 6-year-old Winston Hunter and law enforcement,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cFirst, and most importantly, to the family of Winston, I promise that the 1st Circuit Solicitor\u2019s Office and law enforcement will not stop working on this matter until everyone responsible for this senseless act of violence is brought to justice. Just because charges are brought today does not mean the work stops. This is still an active investigation and, in many ways, it is just beginning,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cFinally, to law enforcement, I cannot think of enough superlatives to express my commendation of the collaborative effort by the Orangeburg County Sheriff\u2019s Office, S.C. Law Enforcement Division, the North Police Department, the Lexington County Sheriff\u2019s Department and New York law enforcement authorities. Knowing Sheriff Ravenell, Chief Keel and North Chief Shirer the way I do, I am confident their collaboration and hard work will continue until justice is accomplished,\u201d Pascoe stated.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Ravenell concluded the press conference with him and Keel signing a baseball helmet with Hunter\u2019s uniform number \u201c6\u201d on it. Deputies also signed the helmet.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Ravenell gave the helmet to Hunter\u2019s brother as a keepsake.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Ravenell also said he and other law enforcement officers met with Hunter\u2019s parents and brother on Friday night to tell them of the arrests.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Hunter\u2019s parents told the sheriff that some of the last words he said before his death on May 13 were, \u201cGod is great.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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If anyone knows the whereabouts of Michael Lloyd, they are asked to call Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Contact the writer: mbrown@timesanddemocrat.com<\/a> or 803-533-5545. Follow on Twitter: @MRBrownTandD<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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