Posted on 12/27/2011 9:44:38 AM PST by marktwain
A Lancaster County woman was beaten to death in Kershaw County with a baseball bat after being kidnapped and assaulted, authorities said.
A suspect is in custody and the attack appears random, Kershaw County Sheriff Jim Matthews said.
“This was a horribly brutal and senseless crime,” he said. “One of the worst I have ever seen.”
According to Matthews:
Beverly Hope Melton, 30, of the Town of Kershaw, was in a convenience store around noon Monday and reportedly was harassed by a man later identified as Nickolas Jermaine Miller, 23.
Around 1:15 p.m., Melton’s grandmother contacted Chesterfield County sheriff’s deputies to report that Melton had called her to tell her she was frightened by a man who was following her. It was her last contact. Soon after, Chesterfield deputies found Melton’s still-running car in reverse, stuck in a ditch on Angelus Road near Jefferson.
Officers then returned to the convenience store and retrieved video footage showing Melton and a man someone recognized as Miller, of Jefferson. Miller’s vehicle also could be identified, so an alert was put out for law enforcement to be on the lookout for it.
A Chestefield County deputy stopped Miller and Miller voluntarily followed him to the Jefferson Town Hall. It was not known at that time that a crime had occurred, Matthews said.
Hower, when questioned by Chesterfield County Sheriff Sam Parker, Miller reportedly said he had abducted Melton, assaulted her and then killed her.
Miller led Parker, a deputy and South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division officers to a secluded area off Sandy Grove Road in the Mount Pisgah area of Kershaw County, Matthews said.
It was dark by then, but around 6 p.m. a SLED helicopter equipped with infrared sensors spotted Melton’s body about 20 yards from the small search party, behind two abandoned turkey barns.
Kershaw County is leading the homicide investigation, but Matthews credited Chesterfield officers for doing most of the work already.
An autopsy on Melton’s body will be performed in Newberry County. Miller is being held at the Kershaw County Detention Center on charges of murder and possibly criminal sexual conduct.
He also faces charges of kidnapping and possibly criminal sexual conduct in Chestefield County. Because of the seriousness of the charges, Miller’s bond hearing will be presided over by a circuit court judge rather than a magistrate. That has not been scheduled.
Miller has no criminal record known to South Carolina law enforcement. He also has no known connection to Melton.
“It appears to be random, which is what makes it so scary,” Matthews said. “If this woman had had a concealed weapons permit and a firearm, this would not have happened. That’s why I advocate for people getting them.”
Matthews said Miller was calm this morning and had not asked for an attorney.
Melton was married, but Matthews did not know if she had children.
If SC had only paid him his slave reparations, this would never have happened!/sarcasm
Given the racial angle, this will just be a local story. Do not expect to see it on national news.
What a sad story - wonder why she did not call 911 when being followed. So many sick twisted people out there. What drives someone to do such a brutal thing. Lay those tile straight as you shoot
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