SC man said he stood his ground in shooting, but judge disagreed and jurors convicted him
A South Carolina man who had been denied Stand Your Ground immunity from a deadly shooting was convicted on a murder charge and sentenced to life in prison, the 6th Circuit Solicitor’s Office said.
In addition to murder, Quinterious Truesdale was found guilty of first-degree burglary and three weapons charges, including possession of a handgun by a person convicted of a crime of violence, the solicitor’s office said Tuesday in a news release.
The 26-year-old Lancaster resident shot and killed 26-year-old Shamon White on Sept. 24, 2020, according to the release.
At about 3 a.m., police responded to reports of a shooting at a Hood Street residence, and found White’s body, the solicitor’s office said. Truesdale was also shot multiple times and was seriously injured, according to the release.
White was in bed asleep with a woman police said was White’s girlfriend. Truesdale entered the bedroom and shot White, who returned fire, Lancaster Police Department Chief Scott Grant said in 2020.
While Truesdale was flown to a hospital for his injuries, arrest warrants were issued and he was soon charged.
His trial was set to begin June 13 in Lancaster County General Sessions Court. Judge Maite Murphy considered a Stand Your Ground hearing based on Truesdale’s motion, but she denied immunity from prosecution and the trial proceeded the following day, according to the release.
After two days of testimony, the jury began deliberating June 16 and returned that night with a guilty verdict on all charges, the solicitor’s office said.
Murphy sentenced Truesdale to life sentences on the murder and burglary charges, and the maximum sentences on the gun charges, with all to run concurrently, according to the release.
“The solicitor’s office is very happy with the outcome of the trial as well as the sentence,” the release said. “Mr. White was awoken by an intruder around 3 a.m. and killed in bed; the brutal nature of the killing in a place where Mr. White deserved to feel safest warrants the sentence that the judge handed down.”
The case was prosecuted by assistant solicitors Melissa McGinnis and Nicole Workman, while Truesdale’s attorney is Devon Nielson.
Truesdale has been arrested in the past.
In 2019 he pleaded guilty to domestic violence, weapons and two robbery charges, Lancaster County court records show.
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