|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Months after a woman was discovered unconscious and zip-tied near a remote riverbed in Jasper County, South Carolina, few additional details have been released to the public about the ensuing investigation – or about the prosecution of the four individuals charged in connection with the case.
It’s been radio silence for weeks, although a notice quietly filed by prosecutors in the office of S.C. second circuit solicitor Bill Weeks indicated they would be seeking life without parole for one of the defendants.
Does this mean Weeks is dropping the hammer for a change? Or is this notice merely an attempt to advance the investigation?
At approximately 2:50 p.m. EST on April 3, 2024, an individual named Wesley Robertson – who was four-wheeling in the area – called 9-1-1 to report a shocking discovery: A nude, bound and beaten person laying motionless near a boat ramp. When first responders arrived, they found the woman near the Corner Lake Boat Landing — a spillway leading into the Coosawhatchie River.
“The resident called it in as a male because they didn’t get too close,” Jasper County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) chief deputy Jeff Crosby told FITSNews in April. “When we arrived on-scene we discovered it was a female… she was lying in a grassy patch near the woodline.”
According to Lowcountry sources, the half-naked woman was transported to Hampton Medical Center and admitted as a “Jane Doe.” She was subsequently transported via helicopter to Savannah, Georgia, where she was shortly thereafter identified by authorities.
To date, the victim’s identity has not been released to the public…
***
“The investigation took us over county lines immediately,” Crosby said at the time. “State investigators were helping us from the beginning, and we had an investigator from the solicitor’s office helping them. We took it as far as we could as quickly as we could.”
As law enforcement agencies inundated the area, disturbing details began to come to light. Investigators determined the woman was kidnapped and transported approximately 74 miles in broad daylight. In the days that followed, the Barnwell County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) identified three suspects and obtained warrants for their arrest. On April 6, 2024, the S.C. Highway Patrol (SCHP) arrested Adrienne Burgen Ginn, 31, on a bench warrant for failure to appear in traffic court one week prior. The self-employed “housekeeper” was charged with driving with a suspended license for a second time.
While Ginn was swiftly granted a $1,270 personal recognizance bond by magistrate judge Tonja P. Alexander, the habitual traffic offender remained “on hold” at the Hampton County detention center until April 24, 2024 – when she was hit with a felony kidnapping charge. Ginn was released on a $15,000 surety bond on June 17, 2024.
Following Ginn’s apprehension, JCSO and the Hampton County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) requested that agents of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) take over their multiagency investigation on Monday, April 8.
The investigation not only crossed county lines, it crossed state lines when two of the suspects – 30-year-old Jamaal Terrell Riley and 34-year-old Kaila Terria Bostick – were apprehended in Knox County, Indiana on Thursday, April 11, 2024 by the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force (GLRFTF).
The pair were transported back to South Carolina and charged with one count of kidnapping on April 29, 2024.
Riley and Bostick are currently being held without bond in the Barnwell County detention center.
On May 21, 2024, a fourth suspect – 42-year-old Marquis Antwan Smith of Hampton, S.C. – was arrested and charged with accessory after the fact to kidnapping. According to a probable cause affidavit accompanying the warrant for his arrest, Smith took Bostick and Riley to Augusta International Airport in Augusta, Georgia on April 3, 2024. Smith also allegedly attempted to assist them with renting a vehicle.
Smith was released on July 17, 2024 from the Hampton County detention center – though no bond amount is listed in the public index.
***
RELATED | G-SHINE BLOOD LISTED AS SUSPECT IN LOWCOUNTRY KIDNAPPING
***
At this point, it is unknown what led to the kidnapping. It is also unclear whether additional charges will be filed
On June 13, 2024, David W. Miller, a deputy solicitor in the second circuit, filed a notice of his office’s intent to seek life without parole for Riley based on South Carolina law (§ 17-25-45) which mandates life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for certain repeat offenders.
Riley was previously convicted of kidnapping in 2012 – a verdict which was upheld on appeal (.pdf).
On September 6, 2012, circuit court judge Clifton Newman sentenced Riley to 10 years for armed robbery, 10 years for kidnapping and five years for criminal conspiracy in connection with the July 21, 2011 robbery of a Barnwell convenience store. Riley unsuccessfully appealed the kidnapping charge – claiming he was simply serving as a lookout for his three co-defendants.
Following his conviction, Riley remained in the custody of the S.C. Department of Corrections (SCDC) until his release in September 2020. His SCDC stint included dozens of disciplinary actions and multiple claims that he was being threatened by gang members – including calls to prison officials by both his parents who said they were afraid for their son’s safety (.pdf).
While his parents were expressing these concerns, the incarcerated 19-year-old appears to have begun publishing to a Facebook page designated “Jamaal G-Shine Ola Riley.” On this page, he proceeded to boast of his supposed affiliation for upwards of one year uninterrupted.
“24 karat ass n****,” Riley wrote during his first prison status update on April 8, 2013. “I need a hood b****. I’m talkin’ about a savage, no average ya’ heard … big trill5 shout out to that bloody n**** Allstar. Lil 5 shine up or line up two hammers an’ a vest.”
While advocating for “mo’ murder mo’ homicide” during his pending appeal, Riley went so far as to upload mobile pictures of red bandanas while showcasing his five-pointed star tattoo; conventional symbols pledging allegiance to the Bloods gang.
“Working hard day in day out to accomplish my goals,” wrote Riley after his appeal was swiftly dismissed on Jan 29, 2014. “Blood, sweat, an tears if this wat it takes to shine even brighter then lets get it 24 karats.”
Following his release from SCDC custody, Riley amassed multiple drug charges before suffering “permanent disability” during a vehicular collision on or about July 22, 2021, according to a lawsuit filed by Winston “Trip” Lawton III.
The former convict was thereafter listed as a “victim” on April 20, 2022, when his 2006 Acura TSX was loaned to Bostick and involved in a high-speed chase with SCHP, according to an incident report provided by the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO).
Stay tuned to our media outlet for additional coverage as these cases make their way through the South Carolina judicial system.
***
NOTICE OF INTENT…
***
***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Jenn Wood is FITSNews’ incomparable research director. She’s also the producer of the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts and leading expert on all things Murdaugh/ South Carolina justice. A former private investigator with a criminal justice degree, evildoers beware, Jenn Wood is far from your average journalist! A deep dive researcher with a passion for truth and a heart for victims, this mom of two is pretty much a superhero in FITSNews country. Did we mention she’s married to a rocket scientist? (Lucky guy!) Got a story idea or a tip for Jenn? Email her at jenn@fitsnews.com.
***
WANNA SOUND OFF?
Got something you’d like to say in response to one of our articles? Or an issue you’d like to address proactively? We have an open microphone policy! Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Got a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? CLICK HERE.
