Man claims he’s his identical twin when arrested for shooting, SC prosecutor says
A man who tried to avoid blame for a shooting, and even claimed police were mistakenly arresting his identical twin, has been sentenced to more than a decade behind bars, the 5th Circuit Solicitor’s Office said.
On Aug. 9 in a Richland County courtroom, 36-year-old Columbia resident Antonio Lavar Bethel was convicted on an attempted murder charge, the solicitor’s office said in a news release.
More than 4 years earlier, on April 19, 2019, Bethel shot another Columbia man in the head, according to the release.
Bethel and the man got into an argument that turned into a physical fight at the Motel 6 on Nate’s Road in Columbia, the solicitor’s office said. That’s near Exit 74 on Interstate 20.
Surveillance footage shows Bethel break away from the fist fight and get a gun from a nearby vehicle, then charge at the victim and shoot him in the head before driving away from the scene, according to the release.
Moments later, Bethel was joined by other people as they returned to Motel 6 to retrieve items from the victim’s car and clean the crime scene, the solicitor’s office said.
Bethel also stole the victim’s phone as he lay incapacitated from the gunshot wound, according to the release.
The victim survived the shooting, but suffered a permanent brain injury, the solicitor’s office said. Further information on the victim’s condition was not available.
No other injuries were reported.
Information about why the men were fighting, or if they knew each other before the shooting, was not available.
Bethel was eventually arrested by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, and he was carrying the gun he used during the shooting, according to the release. He was taken into custody on June 8, 2019, Richland County court records show.
When he was arrested, Bethel denied involvement in the shooting and claimed to be his identical twin brother, the solicitor’s office said. There was no word if Bethel has an identical twin brother.
During the trial, Bethel continued to deflect blame, claiming the shooting was an accident and that he acted in self defense, according to the release.
Following the three-day trial, the jury convicted Bethel, and Judge Daniel Coble sentenced him to 15 years in prison, the solicitor’s office said.
There was no word if any other people connected to the shooting were arrested or found guilty of any crimes.
Senior Assistant Kathryn Cavanaugh and Assistant Solicitor Joe Kreush led the prosecution. Tivis Colley Sutherland IV was Bethel’s defense attorney, court records show.
Bethel, who has been arrested multiple times in Richland County over the past decade, is still facing pending first-degree domestic violence and kidnapping charges from a June 3, 2020, arrest, according to court records.
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This story was originally published August 14, 2023 at 11:46 AM.
