Father of 3 was pistol-whipped before being fatally shot, Lexington prosecutors say

A Lexington County man was sentenced to nearly three decades in prison after pleading guilty to fatally shooting a father of three young children last year, according to prosecutors.

Eddie Louis Bass III, 30, pleaded guilty last week to voluntary manslaughter, and was sentenced Monday to 28 years in prison, according to a release from the 11th Circuit Solicitor’s Office. In South Carolina, voluntary manslaughter is a “no parole” offense, according to the solicitor’s office.

A Lexington County Sheriff’s Department investigation found that Bass was involved in the illegal trade of narcotics, and that he arrived at a home on Blackville Road just before 1 a.m. on Jan. 31, 2018, according to the release. He got involved in an altercation with the victim, 27-year-old Malcom Cruz Jones, with whom he had been acquaintances for several months.

During the altercation, Bass pulled a Bersa Thunder .380-caliber handgun from his pants and beat Jones with the gun, causing blunt force injuries, prosecutors said. He then fired the weapon, shooting Jones in the head, according to warrants cited previously by The State.

Bass fled after the shooting and was arrested on Valentine’s Day, prosecutors said. The gun used in the killing was never recovered.

He initially was charged with murder but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge.

Family members of Jones, including his mother, spoke in court to address the impact of his death on their family and three young children, according to the release. Deputy Solicitor Suzanne Mayes, Assistant Solicitor Sutania Fuller and Assistant Solicitor La’Jessica Stringfellow prosecuted the case.

Voluntary manslaughter carries a maximum 30-year prison sentence, under South Carolina law.