A body was found at Lexington-area rest stop in September. Columbia man now charged.
Lexington County Sheriff Department detectives said they found the man responsible for shooting another and dumping the body in September.
The department charged 65-year-old Richard Lee Hudson of Columbia with murder and weapon possession during a violent crime.
South Carolina Highway Patrol troopers discovered a man’s body near at the edge of the woods near an abandoned Interstate 20 rest stop on Sept. 23.
The rest stop was located near mile marker 41 off the westbound lanes. That’s just beyond Exit 51 for Longs Pond Road, outside the town of Lexington. Troopers found at least one bullet hole in the man’s body.
The Lexington County Coroner’s Office identified the man as 69-year-old Walter R. Payne Jr. of New London, Ohio.
Because troopers regularly patrol the abandoned rest stops, they estimated the body had been left there about a week.
After a month-long investigation, Lexington County deputies arrested Hudson on Friday morning. He told detectives that he was the last person to see Payne alive, Sheriff Jay Koon said in a statement.
The two men were in a long-term relationship, according to Koon. Detectives believe Hudson shot his lover late Sept. 17 or early Sept. 18 before dumping his body.
Detectives found ammunition in Hudson’s car that matched the bullet found in Payne’s body, Koon said. Detectives also discovered Payne’s vehicle at Hudson’s home. Traces of Payne’s blood were inside the vehicle and it appeared to have been recently cleaned, according to the sheriff.
Deputies jailed Hudson at Lexington County Detention Center, where he remains awaiting a bond hearing.
Murder is punishable by 30 years to life in prison in South Carolina.