There are some crimes in Berkeley County so heinous, they’re just too hard to forget–especially, when they go unsolved. Below, in no particular order and by no means a complete list, we’ve included some of the most unforgettable murders to impact the Berkeley County community. If you have any information on these killings, contact Crimestoppers at (843) 554-1111. Remember! You can remain anonymous and qualify for a cash reward should your tip lead to an arrest and conviction.
1. Justin Turner
At just five-years-old, this little Moncks Corner boy was murdered, his body stuffed in a storage bin inside a camper like a piece of trash on his family’s property in March 1989. Deputies initially zeroed in on Justin’s stepmother, Pamela K. Turner. The coroner at the time, William Smith, originally called for an inquest into the case. She was charged with the crime nine months after his body was found and booked inside the local jail. She was shortly released on a $100,000 bond. The charges; however, were dropped in 1990 because of a “lack of evidence.” Victor Turner, the boy’s father, was never charged. To this day Turner’s step-mother remains a person of interest in the case. (To read more, click here.)
2. Ludimila Hiers
Ludimila Hiers, 24, was found with a gunshot wound to the head inside her Goose Creek home in March 2005. Neighbors say they saw her husband, Charleston cop Daniel Hiers, leaving the house several hours before the gruesome discovery was made. The victim’s husband was already facing the other side of the law after police say he molested a 10-year-old girl. Shortly after his wife’s murder, Goose Creek Police obtained a warrant for his arrest. Despite an intensive manhunt, South Carolina authorities have been unable to locate him. He is currently on the U.S. Marshals’ “most wanted” list and he’s been featured on the national TV show, America’s Most Wanted, numerous times. (To read more, click here.)
3. Louis Washington
The murder of 72-year-old Louis Washington of Moncks Corner marked the first homicide of the year for Berkeley County deputies in February 2013. According to detectives, the elderly man was shot to death outside of Margie’s Diner near Cooper Store Road in the middle of the day. Family members say Washington, a former truck driver and disc jockey, would sell vehicles outside of his friend’s restaurant. They say his life was cut short when someone robbed him. To read more: click here.)
4. Chad Williams
In March 2011, Berkeley Co. deputies say it was at a home in the Russellville community where they found 23-Chad-Williams in the kitchen suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. His pregnant girlfriend was inside the house at the time of the shooting. His mother, Audrey Williams, has always believed three people killed her son but that those close to her son’s killers aren’t talking. Shortly after the murder, deputies released this sketch of a possible suspect and indicated the deadly shooting may have been drug-related. Williams left behind two young children. (To read more: click here)
5. Artie Bradley
Investigators from the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office found 79-year-old Artie Bradley’s body along a dirt road in Bonneau less than two miles away from his home in June 2013. Ellen Wright, the victim’s sister, says some of her family members had to identify his remains because his body was so badly decomposed. Berkeley County Coroner Bill Salisbury said a man and wife were traveling on a Francis Marion National Forest road around when they found Bradley’s body. Bradley’s friends have offered an additional reward of $3,000 for information leading to the arrest of the person involved in the crime. This reward will be paid in addition to the normal $1,000 Crime Stopper reward. (To read more, click here.)
6. Alonza Williams
In July 2014, deputies responded to nighttime shooting in the College Park area of Berkeley County. When they arrived, Coroner Bill Salisbury said they found that 15-year-old Alonza Williams of Goose Creek had been shot multiple times. The teen was transported to MUSC by helicopter and pronounced dead a short time later. (To read more, click here)
7. Ariel Morgan
In June 2014, deputies say 19-year-old Ariel Morgan attended a block party with approximately 800 other people along the 300-block of Tish Lane in the Long Ridge community of the Berkeley County. According to deputies, at some point during the event, shots rang out. Multiple people were hit by stray bullets. Ariel was among the victims. She was transported to MUSC in Charleston where she was later pronounced dead at 2:45 a.m. Because there were so many people at the party, deputies know that somebody saw something. The only problem, however, is no one is willing to talk. (To read more: click here)
8. Kimberly Jones
On August 14, 2008, 24-year-old Kimberly Jones died after an onslaught of bullets were fired into her St. Stephen home at the Foxcreek Apartments on 260 Ravenell Drive. The young mother of four died at Medical University Hospital about 5:30 a.m., Berkeley County Coroner Bill Salisbury stated at the time. Jones was a graduate of Timberland High School. She attended Denmark Technical College and was most recently working at the Citi Trends clothing store in Moncks Corner. (To read more: click here)
9. Kevin McClam
McClam, 14, was last seen at his home at the Naval Weapons Station in Goose Creek the night before Easter. His parents say they last saw him playing video games. The next morning they went to wake him and he was gone. A massive ground search of the area was launched, but it didn’t uncover anything. Investigators say the only physical evidence they have to work with was clothing belonging to the teen found tossed out on a road. (To read more: click here)
10. Shannon McConaughey
Even though this case didn’t happen in Berkeley County, it rattled members of the community to the core when they learned of McConaughey’s grizzly murder. The 19-year-old St. Stephen woman was last seen in late-January 1998 leaving the Cracker Barrel restaurant in North Charleston after eating with friends belonging to her Amway sales group. Her car was found abandoned and burned two weeks later in woods near McClellanville. Her body was found in March. Charleston Co. Sheriff’s officers originally charged five people with raping and then shooting her to death; however, prosecutors reportedly dismissed the charges against them later that year, citing insufficient evidence. (To read more: click here)
11. Michael Starks
The murder of 21-year-old Michael Starks marked the first murder for the Moncks Corner Police Department in three years in January 2009. According to investigators, he was found shot to death at his Jenkins Street home. Detectives stated at the time Starks had reported previous break-ins to police at the home in November and December. It was reportedly a neighbor who found Starks’ lifeless body lying in the doorway of his home. (To read more: click here)
12. Tamya Grant
Little is known on how this little St. Stephen girl actually died, however, Berkeley Co. Coroner Bill Salisbury says her death is being treated as a homicide. Paramedics were called to a home at 109 Welch Street about 1 a.m. on a Saturday in September 2007. She was later pronounced dead at a hospital in Moncks Corner. Salisbury had stated at the time that it was pretty obvious that she had been murdered. (To read more: click here)
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