One man charged with murder after body found in a burning home, Lexington sheriff says
Lexington County deputies have charged a man with murdering a man whose body was found inside a burning home last month, according to a news release.
Edward Leroy Smith, 39, of Winnsboro was taken into custody Tuesday night by the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department on a murder charge stemming from the stabbing death of Caldwell Melton Motley Jr., the news release said. Smith is also charged with attempted murder in the stabbing of a man who was found injured inside a detached garage beside the home that burned July 23 in the 200 block of Oak Ridge Lane.
Deputies are also searching for another man, Donovan Ryan Holman, 33, of Lexington, who is suspected of being connected to the case, according to Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon. The sheriff’s department did not release what the specific charges against Holman are.
Detectives determined that Smith stabbed Motley and the other man with an “edged object,” Koon said in the news release.
“Victim and witness interviews, evidence and electronic data indicate Smith was at the Oak Ridge Lane scene shortly before a 911 call was made in reference to smoke coming from the house,” Koon said.
Smith is being held in the Lexington County Detention Center after a magistrate judge denied him bond Wednesday morning.
Koon is encouraging anyone with information on the whereabouts of Holman to contact the sheriff’s office via the Midlands Crimestoppers mobile app.
“You will remain anonymous and if your tip leads to an arrest, you could be eligible for a cash reward,” Koon said in the news release.
