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The man suspected of murdering three family members last week in a Lowcountry, South Carolina apartment complex – before turning a gun on himself – has been identified by the Charleston County coroner’s office as 44-year-old Darius Seay of North Charleston, S.C.
Seay was referenced as a possible suspect in our previous coverage of this tragedy, which unfolded shortly after 4:40 p.m. EST last Friday (December 27, 2024) at the Abberly Crossing apartment complex in Ladson, S.C.
According to police, Seay killed his wife, 38-year-old Adrienne “Kim” Seay and his father-in-law, 68-year-old John F. Childs – both of Mount Pleasant, S.C. – along with his brother-in-law, John A. Childs, 36, of Boston, Massachusetts during a domestic dispute.
Initial reports indicate Seay stabbed and shot his wife during the attack, although information from the autopsies of the three victims has yet to be released.
Witnesses at the complex reported hearing “a commotion and banging noises coming from (inside) the apartment.” Shortly thereafter, one witness came face to face with Seay on a breezeway outside of the apartment. Seay – who was “carrying a child in his arms” at the time – proceeded to pistol whip the witness en route to his vehicle.
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After putting the child inside the SUV, witnesses say Seay donned a tan bulletproof vest and combat-style helmet while retrieving an AR-style rifle from the back of the car.
As noted in our prior report, information provided by witnesses enabled police to track Seay – and the black Explorer – to 4352 Briarstone Court, a home he and Kim Seay owned located approximately eight miles southeast of the Abberly Crossing apartments.
As police approached the residence and began attempting to examine the suspect vehicle, Seay reportedly emerged from the home with the child in tow. Shortly thereafter, he released the child – a five-year-old boy believed to be his and Kim Seay’s son – to officers of the North Charleston Police Department (NCPD).
Darius Seay then proceeded to shoot himself in the head.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Seay had been employed for the last twelve months by ASRC Federal – a government contractor specializing in information technology and other services for defense and civilian agencies. Seay was listed as the company’s “rangemaster,” and his LinkedIn profile image displayed the Marine sergeant brandishing a military-issue M4 carbine against a backdrop of spent shell casings.
Sources familiar with ASRC Federal’s operations say the company employs many ex-military personnel – all of whom are subjected to rigorous background checks.
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Seay was previously employed as a night watchman at The Citadel – where he also studied business administration.
Just forty hours before the triple homicide, Seay was involved in an incident at a Charleston, S.C. bar which resulted in his arrest on an assault charge.
According to an incident report obtained from the Charleston Police Department (CPD), officers were summoned to Big John’s Bar & Tavern on East Bay Street at approximately 12:10 a.m. EDT on Thursday (December 26, 2024) in response to reports of a fight involving Seay and another individual.
The fight reportedly unfolded after several incidents at the bar involving Seay, including one in which he allegedly groped a 34-year-old female without her consent.
Per the report (.pdf), Seay allegedly “used an unknown hand to grope (the victim)’s buttock above her clothing.”
“Seay touched her lower back area initially, slowly moving his hand down to her lower buttocks area above her clothing,” the report noted. “(The victim) stated that she felt very uncomfortable and told him she was not okay with his behavior.”
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After the woman told her boyfriend – 40-year-old Kent Eugenio Benitez – about Seay’s alleged conduct, Benitez confronted Seay and the two “exchanged a few unknown words,” per the report.
“At that point, Seay assumed a fighting stance, raising both of his arms, leading (Benitez) to believe that Seay was about to punch him,” the report added. “Benitez then used his dominant right hand to defend himself, striking Seay in the mouth and causing him minor injury. The two males proceeded to brawl with each other at the bar before eventually separating themselves.”
After the fight, the female victim advised police of her desire to press charges against Seay for “the sexual fondling of her lower buttock area.” Shortly thereafter, he was arrested on a charge of second degree assault and battery. Seay was booked at the Charleston County detention center at 3:01 a.m. EST and released approximately eight hours later – at 10:54 a.m. EST – after being granted a $10,000 personal recognizance bond.
Seay was ordered not to leave the state as a condition of his bond.
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Approximately thirty hours after his release from the detention center, the triple homicide took place.
Seay filed for divorce from his wife in March of this year after nearly ten years of marriage – and at one point prior to that filing appears to have petitioned the court for an order of protection based on an allegation of intimate partner abuse. No arrest records related to that allegation have been uncovered, however. Similarly, with the exception of the aforementioned arrest, it does not appear as though Seay had any sort of criminal history.
While the situation between the Seays appeared to have been combustible earlier this year, sources close to the couple told FITSNews their court case had yielded an amicable temporary agreement.
Our media outlet is continuing to pore through court files and related documents in the hopes of obtaining additional information about what may have precipitated this tragic incident.
Stay tuned for updates…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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3 comments
I’m glad that you guys gave a full accounting of what he has been going through. What the news isn’t saying is that his wife was abusing him, and she cheated on him. All of that prompted the divorce he filed, which devastated him. I don’t believe it was a good agreement for him because of his kid. I am not condoning what he did, but people don’t just snap overnight. Chances are the people who were asked about their relationship wasn’t a supporter of his.
This report failed to mention that Darius served his country for many years and did multiple tours to Iraq and Afghanistan. Where he was in hand on hand combat. Killing men, women and children. Could you imagine the PTSD this probably caused. However, he came back and proceeded to live a pretty normal life. This report also failed to mention that Darius was in a horrific car accident nearly claiming his life where he suffered a traumatic brain injury and broke his back. Against all odds he recovered. The report failed to mention that Darius has also trained many officers on the Charleston Police Force. I am not in no means condoning what he did nor his actions because 3 lives were taken however it gives context to how people do snap. People need to know that something in him snapped.
It sounds like Darius was in the midst of a PTSD event. The military/Government has to create a deprogramming and disconnect that part of our psyche. I am a Navy Vet and my brother is a 2 time purple heart Army Ranger. Prayers goes out to Everyone involved. This was a tragic event.