Midlands man charged with murder after his roommate died, sheriff’s office says

A Midlands man was charged with murder and another crime after his roommate was killed, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.

James Edward Barnes, 40, was also charged with possession of a weapon during a violent crime more than a week after Richard Preusser was fatally shot, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

On Aug. 19, deputies responded to a home on Antelope Drive after a 911 caller said there was an unresponsive man in the residence, according to the release. That’s in the Dalzell area, near U.S. 521, and where both Barnes and Preusser lived, the sheriff’s office said.

The caller said he suspected the man, later identified as Preusser, was suffering from a drug overdose, according to the release.

Preusser died at the scene, the sheriff’s office said — but not from a drug overdose.

During the investigation both deputies and the Sumter County Coroner’s Office noticed Preusser had been shot in the upper right side of his chest, according to the release.

An autopsy determined that Preusser died of a gunshot wound to the chest, the sheriff’s office said.

There were two other people in the home, who were identified as Preusser’s roommates, and one of them gave a name during questioning which was later discovered to be a false identity, according to the release. That person was quickly identified as Barnes, the sheriff’s office said.

While Barnes left the scene and tried to evade law enforcement, he was located on Aug. 20, according to the release.

During questioning, Barnes gave several inconsistent stories and quickly became a suspect, the sheriff’s office said.

A gun believed to be the murder weapon was recovered and, on Tuesday, arrest warrants were issued for Barnes, according to the release.

Barnes is currently in the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center awaiting a bond hearing, the sheriff’s office said.

Sheriff Anthony Dennis praised the work of his officers in what he called an isolated incident.

Dennis also expressed gratitude for the good working relationship with the Coroner Robbie Baker and his staff.

This story was originally published August 30, 2022 at 1:36 PM.

Noah Feit

The State

803-771-8435

Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription