Manhunt ends for men wanted on murder charges in SC, sheriff’s office says
A manhunt for two men wanted on murder charges is over, the Saluda County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.
Months after a Midlands man was fatally shot, both Bernard Gilliam Jr. and Tridarin Weaver were arrested, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
In addition to murder, both Gilliam and Weaver were charged with possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime in connection to the killing of Alex K. Donaldson, according to the release.
Although the 26-year-old Orangeburg resident’s body was found in a Jan. 20 crash where a car flipped over, Saluda County Coroner Keith Turner said Donaldson was a homicide victim, and he died from a gunshot wound.
Information about how Gilliam and Weaver were connected to Donaldson’s death was not available.
There was no word on a motive for the shooting.
The investigation began after the Jan. 20 crash. The single-vehicle collision happened in Saluda County at about 10 p.m., said Master Trooper Gary Miller of the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
A 2007 Nissan Altima was driving east on May Branch Road near the intersection with May Road when the car ran off the right shoulder, according to Miller. The Nissan then hit a mailbox and crashed into a ditch, causing it to flip over. The driver was dead, Miller said.
Miller said the driver was the only person in the car and no other injuries were reported.
Donaldson was identified as the occupant of the passenger car involved in the crash, according to the coroner’s office.
Minutes prior to receiving a 911 call about the crash, the sheriff’s office said it got another 911 call in reference to shots fired in the area of May Branch Road.
Information about how Gilliam and Weaver were located was not available, but the the sheriff’s office previously said it was working with the U.S. Marshals Service and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division’s respective fugitive task forces to find the wanted men.
Weaver, 30, was arrested on Feb. 14, and no bond has been set on the charges, Saluda County court records show.
There was no word about when Gilliam was taken into custody or if any bond was set.
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This story was originally published March 1, 2023 at 12:28 PM.
