5 SC men charged with murder in death of USC Upstate student
The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office charged five men, including four from Columbia, with the shooting death of a University of South Carolina Upstate student in March.
Evan Jeffery Gaines, a 22-year-old senior business major from Columbia, was gunned down at an off-campus apartment on March 26, according to Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger.
After an eight-month investigation into Gaines’ death, five men, including two brothers, face multiple charges:
- Darryl Wayne Cooley, 23, is charged with murder and armed robbery
Rodriguez Kentavious Marshall, 20, is charged with murder and armed robbery
Antonio K. Marshall, 25, is charged with murder and armed robbery
Cainan Keison Gregory Griffin, 21, is charged with murder and armed robbery
Douglas Alexander Wright, Jr., 24, is charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime
Wright, of Round O in Colleton County, is charged as the trigger man, according to a deputy’s report. But all coordinated the robbery that ended in homicide, Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright said.
Investigators found phone records that they said show the five men coordinated the robbery that turned fatal. After deputies made arrests and interrogated the men, several confessed to their part in the killing, the office said in a statement.
Cooley is accused by the office of being the getaway driver. The investigation revealed that Cooley was talking about the shooting and “was aware of what occurred,” a deputy’s report said. Police originally charged Cooley with accessory to murder but upgraded the charge to murder when new evidence was found.
The office said investigators have charged all the suspects involved and that no one else had a part in the shooting.
Gaines was planning his life after what was supposed to be his May graduation. He and his girlfriend were going to settle, maybe get married and have kids. They already had the names picked out for a boy and girl — EJ for Evan Jr. and Eris Jisselle, Gaines’ girlfriend Andreauna Williams said in a Facebook post after Gaines was killed.
Gaines attended Lewis Greenview Elementary, W.G. Sanders Middle School and W.J. Keenan High School in Columbia, Richland 1 school district said.
“You don’t get too many real brothers in life. With you, I had one,” Roderick Jones, a close friend of Gaines, wrote in a Facebook post after the death. “Smallest one of the crew but I swear you had the biggest heart ... You will forever be with me in everything I do. I love you dearly, brother.”
Murder is punishable with a maximum of life in prison, but if the murder is proven to be committed during an armed robbery, prosecutors can seek the death penalty.
This story was originally published November 22, 2019 at 6:19 PM.