Fake Puppy Sale Revenge Murder? South Carolina Governor’s Race Jumps the Shark

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by WILL FOLKS

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We knew the 2026 governor’s race in South Carolina was going to include some headline-grabbing allegations (it already has, in fact), but we never suspected one of the candidates would be attacked in connection with a revenge murder allegedly effectuated via a fake puppy sale.

And yes… you read that right.

One of the four main candidates for governor of the Palmetto State has come under fire for allegedly facilitating a revenge killing in Florence County, S.C. – a murder police say was orchestrated by a trio of suspects who lured their victim to her death via a fake puppy sale.

On the afternoon of January 22, 2026, 40-year-old Dana Marie Kinlaw of Olanta, S.C. traveled to Atlantic Road – a secluded location in Florence County approximately 12 miles southeast of Florence, S.C. – for the ostensible purpose of purchasing a puppy.

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According to the Florence County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO), Kinlaw was accompanied on her trip by 19-year-old Iryanna Jarissa Fleming of Pamplico, S.C. – who has been described by law enforcement as a “friend” of the victim.

Rather than acting as a “friend” accompanying Kinlaw to obtain a beloved new pet, however, authorities say Fleming was instead acting as a criminal conspirator – luring Kinlaw to her death.

Upon arriving at this rural location – just east of Effingham, S.C. – Kinlaw was allegedly shot in the head, doused with a flammable liquid and left to die inside a burning car on the side of the road. These crimes were reportedly perpetrated by Fleming and two men – 31-year-old Daquinn Taheen Thomas of Effingham and 31-year-old Nikko Christopher Carraway of Florence – as revenge for a murder that took place in neighboring Darlington County.

Kinlaw is said to be connected to this Darlington County murder via her son, but the exact context of her rumored proximity remains unclear.

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Carraway, Fleming and Thomas have each been charged with murder, possessing a weapon during the commission of a violent crime and arson. All three are being held without bond at the Florence County detention center in Effingham.

Carraway and Thomas both have lengthy rap sheets, incidentally, and have been afforded excessive leniency in the past by the Palmetto State’s failed “justice” system in the form of anemic plea agreements and questionably low bonds.

No surprise there, right? Coddling criminals and consistently endangering public safety is what the Palmetto State’s legislatively controlled court system does best…

How does this gruesome crime connect to the South Carolina governor’s race, though?

Last Thursday (January 29, 2026), S.C. lieutenant governor Pamela Evette – one of the leading Republican candidates in this spring’s partisan primary election – took to social media to blame one of her top rivals, S.C. attorney general Alan Wilson, for allegedly having a nexus to the crime.

“This is what happens when we have an attorney general asleep at the wheel, more worried about his future political ambitions than his current job,” Evette wrote.

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This is what happens when we have an attorney general asleep at the wheel, more worried about his future political ambitions than his current job. https://t.co/TeuxIyRPg9

— Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette (@PamelaEvette) January 29, 2026

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Evette did not indicate how Wilson – or his office – was connected to any of the three suspects in the murder. As of this writing, our media outlet has not uncovered any connection between Wilson’s office and any prior crimes (or alleged crimes) committed by these three suspects. Based on our review of the public records, all of their cases fall under the jurisdiction of S.C. twelfth circuit solicitor Edgar L. Clements – who has not referred any of them to the attorney general.

Wilson’s office confirmed it had “no record of any cases with those defendants.”

Evette’s criticism – which is similar to criticism of Wilson leveled previously in this race by congresswoman Nancy Mace – drew a swift response from Wilson’s camp.

“Pam Evette’s campaign is getting desperate,” Wilson deputy campaign manager Claire Brady said. “Trying to blame attorney general Wilson for a woman’s death, when he had nothing to do with it or the killers, is gross. While she’s been cutting ribbons, taking photos, and profiting from DEI government grants, Wilson has loudly advocated for judicial reform year after year and worked hand in glove with South Carolina law enforcement. If she cared about judicial reform, she could have said something before running for governor. She didn’t.”

Wilson’s campaign also suggested Evette was focusing on this case because Florence County sheriff TJ Joye had endorsed the attorney general’s candidacy for governor.

Evette’s comment marked a distinct shift in the 2026 race – opening a new front of hostilities between the two candidates who are viewed as the choices of the Palmetto State’s Republican establishment. Previously, the invective in this race had been between Mace and Wilson – with the former attacking the latter for his alleged failure to protect victims of violent crime (especially victims of child sex crimes).

Is this latest broadside legitimate, though?

Unless Evette can produce something to substantiate her allegation against Wilson, it strikes us as an unfair and unfounded criticism… although Wilson’s office certainly has exploitable vulnerabilities as it relates to its prosecutorial record.

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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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