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A Hampton County, South Carolina man was sentenced to life in prison this week for the murder of a 17-year-old acquaintance – whom he threw out of a vehicle, robbed and fatally shot on the side of a Jasper County road six years ago.
On Wednesday (August 14, 2024), a jury in Jasper County found 33-year-old Javeris Tremane Williams – a.k.a. “Hustle Man” – guilty of the September 2018 armed robbery and murder of Samquan “Chuck” Frazier. Following the verdict, S.C. circuit court judge Carmen Mullen sentenced Williams to life in prison.
“Javeris Williams has displayed utter disregard for life and for the law,” said S.C. fourteenth circuit assistant solicitor Trasi Campbell, who prosecuted the case. “His criminal history demonstrates this. His robbery and murder of Chuck Frazier demonstrate this. His flight from responsibility demonstrates this. Fortunately, he will be behind bars for a long, long time.”
On the evening of September 30, 2018, deputies with the Jasper County sheriff’s office were dispatched to the intersection of Pineland Road and S.C. Highway 3 near Grays, S.C. – approximately 45 miles north of Savannah, Georgia. Informed that a pedestrian had possibly been struck by a car, upon arrival they found Frazier – of nearby Estill, S.C. – on the side of the road in his underwear with a gunshot wound that had entered his lower chest and exited through his back.
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Despite his injuries, Frazier was conscious and managed to identify his attacker as “Hustle Man.” His crucial statement, captured on the officer’s body-worn camera, pointed investigators directly to Williams – whose street name was not only known to police but confirmed by a family member.
While Frazier died en route to the hospital and was unable to provide any additional information, “further investigation connected Williams to a Facebook account under the name ‘Hustle Mane,’ an apparent derivation of his middle name, Tremane,” a release from the fourteenth circuit noted.
“Among the account’s content was a video, posted the night of the shooting, that showed Frazier and Williams in a car together,” the release continued.
Interviewed by investigators, Frazier’s relatives and acquaintances helped reconstruct the events leading up to the murder. In the hours before Frazier’s death, he and Williams reportedly attended a party where Frazier won a substantial amount of money shooting dice. After the party, they went to a nightclub – and in the early morning hours Frazier accepted a ride home with Williams and another man.
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Javeris Tremane Williams (Jasper County Sheriff)
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The third man, who was asleep in the car, testified to having awoken to the sound of a gunshot – at which point he stated he saw Frazier and Williams outside of the vehicle. When he opened the backseat door to see what had happened, Williams ordered him to remain in the car. The witness then heard a second gunshot before Williams re-entered the car and sped away, leaving Frazier behind.
At the time of the shooting, Williams was “well-known to law enforcement because of his prior criminal history, which included convictions for assault and battery, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, driving under the influence and possession of a controlled substance,” according to the fourteenth circuit.
Eight days after the murder, Williams was arrested in a Columbia, S.C. motel by U.S. Marshals.
On August 31, 2020 – after spending nearly two years in jail – Williams received a $150,000 surety bond from S.C. circuit court judge Brooks P. Goldsmith. His bond was revoked, however, after he failed to appear for a court hearing five months later – promoting a statewide manhunt.
Williams’ trial in Ridgeland, S.C. lasted three days and featured thirteen witnesses.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Callie Lyons is a journalist, researcher and author. Her 2007 book ‘Stain-Resistant, Nonstick, Waterproof and Lethal’ was the first to cover forever chemicals and their impact on communities – a story later told in the movie ‘Dark Waters’. Her investigative work has been featured in media outlets, publications, and documentaries all over the world. Lyons also appears in ‘Citizen Sleuth’ – a 2023 documentary exploring the genre of true crime.
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