Orangeburg father attacks son’s murderer in court, video shows
A sentencing hearing for an admitted murderer devolved into chaos Thursday in Orangeburg County when the victim’s father attacked the killer.
The father, Willie Clay Fields, 58, is now facing charges of contempt of court and third-degree assault and battery, according to court records. Both charges are misdemeanors.
Fields attacked Lindy Lamont Jones, 22, who had pleaded guilty on Wednesday in the shooting death of Fields’ 18-year-old son, Willie, in 2019, according to a video of the incident released by Orangeburg County.
Video from the courtroom shows Fields holding his wife as she made a tearful statement before Circuit Judge Roger Young in the Orangeburg County Courthouse. Fields suddenly leapt towards a handcuffed Jones and punched him in the back of the head.
Fields fell on Jones, hitting him repeatedly before bailiffs pulled him off Jones and separated the two men.
“I’m gonna beat your a—, boy!” Fields shouted at Jones, according to a separate video from inside the courtroom published by the Times and Democrat of Orangeburg.
Jones then lunged at Fields before being escorted out by officers. Family members tried to calm Fields before an officer removed him from the courtroom.
In a statement released on Facebook, Justin Bamberg, Fields’ lawyer and a state representative, said his client had been overcome with emotion and apologized to the court for his actions.
“No father should have to bury his innocent son. Mr. Fields is not a criminal. He is a victim of the senseless violence that occurs far too often in our communities,” Bamberg said.
“I don’t expect everyone to understand how it must feel to sit there reliving the moment you first found out your son had been murdered for absolutely no reason,” Bamberg said.
Jones admitted to shooting Fields once in the head and three times in the back in 2019, according to the Times and Democrat.
Fields was released on a $1,000 bond. The Times and Democrat reported that Jones’ sentencing has been postponed.
This story was originally published July 15, 2022 at 5:51 PM.