|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
by WILL FOLKS
***
As the South Carolina supreme court prepares to hear oral arguments in convicted killer Alex Murdaugh‘s appeal of his two guilty verdicts, another court hearing is drawing nigh in a different corner of the Palmetto State.
This past week saw a flurry of motions in a controversial ‘Stand Your Ground‘ case tied to a 2023 shooting in Horry County, S.C. That fall, Myrtle Beach, S.C. restaurant owner Charles Weldon Boyd and his friend, Kenneth Bradley Williams, fatally shot 33-year-old North Carolina insurance adjuster Scott Spivey following a vehicular incident on Highway 9 just south of the state line.
The shooting took place on Camp Swamp Road, just two miles south of the North Carolina border. Boyd and Williams – a passenger in Boyd’s truck – have admitted firing the fatal rounds, but insisted they acted in lawful self-defense after Spivey allegedly waved a gun, drove erratically and fired at them first. Spivey’s family has disputed that account, accusing the two men of engaging in an enraged pursuit that culminated in a “premeditated” ambush.
S.C. circuit court judge Eugene C. Griffith, Jr. is presiding over a decisive hearing this month which will determine whether a wrongful death claim against Boyd and Bradley can advance in civil court – and our intrepid Jenn Wood has been diligently tracking all of the filings ahead of those proceedings.
***
In other news, our lead investigative reporter Andy Fancher continued to dig deep on a law enforcement cheating scandal that has roiled the Palmetto Lowcountry. As Andy exclusively reported, at least ten officers were “separated” from the Mount Pleasant Police Department (MPPD) earlier this year after an internal investigation found they sent and received answers on a mandatory S.C. Criminal Justice Academy (SCCJA) recertification exam.
While not as egregious as most of the law enforcement corruption Andy has uncovered as part of his ‘Badges Gone Bad’ investigating, the story has sparked a furor – and prompted all manner of fallout within the Palmetto State’s law enforcement community.
Finally, Dylan Nolan and I recapped an incredibly busy week in South Carolina politics – including some distinctly positive poll numbers for first district congresswoman Nancy Mace as she vies to become the Palmetto State’s second female governor. We also looked into a bold promise from first circuit solicitor David Pascoe, who is hoping to become South Carolina’s next attorney general.
Once again, a huge ‘thank you’ to everyone who watched this week’s program. Remember, your support enables everything we do at FITSNews. The lights, the cameras, the accountability… all of it is a direct result of your subscriptions. If you value the sort of independent, unapologetic coverage we provide – please help us out and consider subscribing today!
And if you are already a subscriber, please consider gifting a subscription to a friend – or purchasing some of our cool new merch!
***
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.
***
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.
2 comments
I’m not sure how I feel about the Cardinals jersey.
The biggest scandal that I know of right now in South Carolina is the Charter Institute at Erskine. I work for this organization and the waste here is absolutely amazing. International trips, exorbitant salaries and rewards points nearing $30,000 dollars.
I asked the board chairman and president about this and he told me that he “picks and controls” all the boards, so there’s that.