2 teens charged with murder of man found shot to death in Cadillac off SC road
Two teens are charged with murder after a weeklong investigation into the fatal shooting of an Elgin man in Kershaw County.
The Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrests of Cameron Ezekiel Hyatt, 17, and Albertina Hattie Jolera Bennett, 18, on Friday.
They are charged with killing 55-year-old Thomas Keitt Jr. of Ivo Circle in Elgin.
On the morning of Jan. 15, a passerby noticed a white Cadillac parked in a dirt and gravel lane off Green Hill Road in Lugoff. Deputies sent to the scene found a man, later identified as Keitt, shot to death in the car.
The Sheriff’s Office and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division began investigating. Tire marks appeared to show that another vehicle had been at the scene, according to investigators.
Sheriff Lee Boan said his office was “diligently investigating this crime in efforts to seek swift justice for our victim, his family, and our community.” He called the killing a “horrible incident.”
By the end of the day the Sheriff’s Office said Keitt’s shooting was not random and they did not think the public was in danger.
Friday afternoon, Boan said the teenagers knew Keitt and the killing was planned or a targeted crime. Investigators believe Hyatt and Bennett were the only ones involved in the slaying.
A small group of Kershaw County residents and others who know the teens expressed disbelief at their arrests over social media. Some who said they were family members and former teachers remembered how the two were good students and showed potential.
Many expressed condolences to Keitt’s family.
The teens face life in prison if convicted. If the killing was committed in connection with a robbery or certain other crimes they could face the death penalty.
This story was originally published January 25, 2020 at 2:53 PM.