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This week saw dramatically different outcomes for a pair of defendants linked to one of South Carolina’s most horrific murders – the August 2024 slaying of 20-year-old Jessica Barnes of Pendleton, S.C.
Barnes was killed weeks before a massive missing persons campaign was launched in an effort to find her. Last October, three people were criminally charged in connection with her murder after her charred, dismembered remains were found by police in a wooded area near an Upstate boat ramp.
Kendall Mims, 21 – one of three other people living with Barnes in a Pendleton pool house last summer – was granted a $75,000 surety bond by S.C. circuit court judge Jessica Salvini on Thursday, April 10, 2025 for the charges filed against her in connection with Barnes’ murder. However, Salvini declined to grant bond to Mims’ co-defendant, 20-year-old Victoria Tippett. Barnes’ murder was allegedly perpetrated by her husband, 22-year-old Brandon Barnes, who remains behind bars after police say he strangled his late wife and then directed a conspiracy to cover up the crime.
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In other news, it was a huge week in the crime and corruption saga surrounding convicted killer Alex Murdaugh. Prosecutors in the office of S.C. attorney general Alan Wilson successfully obtained yet another delay in responding to Murdaugh’s eminently credible appeal – while fresh criticism was leveled against the agency which investigated these crimes.
Our intrepid research director Jenn Wood and I discussed both of those cases… offering our best assessments and previewing forthcoming developments.
On the global front, financial markets – and geopolitical relations – took a “yuge” beating over the past week as U.S. president Donald Trump announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs. Our Dylan Nolan and I discussed Trump’s gambit, the political fallout from it and the broader battle between the United States and China for global economic superiority.
Finally, it was a huge week on the political front here in South Carolina – with a big announcement from a former Democrat and developments in the race for governor in 2026.
As always, a big “thank you” to everyone who watched this week’s program. Please remember, your support drives everything we do at FITSNews. Literally, the lights, cameras… and the action. So, if you value independent, unapologetic coverage like we provide – please help us out by subscribing today!
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1 comment
There’s some real crime drama coming out of the corruptest county in SC, and that’s Laurens County. I’ve worked for this county for a fairly long time, and now I’m getting questioned by some type of out of town police about our crooked county chairman Brown Patterson and the crookedest of all county administrator Thomas Higgs. Looks like they may have ordered county employees to clean up Brown Pattersons yard and mile long drive after the Hurricane Helene. Rumor has it that any county employee that tells the truth will be fired.
Guess what, it’s true. Pictures of the county employees are floating around. I hope that they both serve time in prison. Two total jerks.