Lexington man sentenced to 45 years for domestic violence murder

After being found guilty of murder by a Lexington County jury, Marion C. Wilkes has been sentenced to 45 years in prison without eligibility for parole.

Eleventh Circuit Chief Administrative Judge Eugene C. Griffith, Jr., imposed the sentence after Wilkes, 76, was convicted for the stabbing and beating death of his wife, Susan Reynolds Wilkes, in the couple’s home on June 11, 2014.

The couple had been married for 34 years and lived together at 106 Linnet Dr., in West Columbia. Wilkes had originally reported Susan, 59, as “missing” on June 14, 2014, and contacted the victim’s family members and fabricated an explanation for her disappearance.

An investigation by West Columbia Police Department led to the arrest of Wilkes after his wife’s body was found buried in a shallow, unmarked grave near Little Mountain.

According to records, Wilkes confessed to the killing during an interview with West Columbia Police Captain Bruce Wade. He admitted to using a blunt force instrument to strike his wife multiple times in the head and to stabbing her in the chest with a knife.

Wilkes was caught on video surveillance June 13, 2014, attempting to discard various items in a trash compactor. Both the video and Wilkes’ recorded statement was offered in evidence during the trial.

This story was originally published March 2, 2018 at 5:21 PM with the headline "Lexington man sentenced to 45 years for domestic violence murder."