Orangeburg County sheriff blames father for the death of his two children, two others in Holly Hill shooting

The Orangeburg County sheriff said Friday he said he believes the four people killed in Holly Hill last month were caused by the drug-dealing lifestyle of two of the victims’ father.

Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said Christopher Wright, 36, has been charged with three counts of unlawful neglect of a child, one count of trafficking crack cocaine and one count of obstruction of justice. Investigators believed that Wright commonly used the residence located in the 7000 block of Old State Road, where the killings occurred, to deal drugs out of. It’s still unclear why the children were at the home.

Wright’s children, Shamekia Sanders, 17, and Alexia Perry, 14, died of gunshot wounds in the attack. The third, an 8-year-old boy, was airlifted to a local hospital where he received treatment for a gunshot wound. The boy is continuing to recover from the wound, Ravenell said.

Ravenell said the investigation is one that he takes personally.

“Because of [Wright’s] lifestyle, we have four dead and one in the hospital,” Ravenell said.

Although Ravenell said they have been unable to identity of the shooter, Orangeburg County deputies took a person of interest into custody shortly following the killings. Michael Smith, 26, was charged with failure to stop for blue lights and two drug charges after leading deputies on a chase that reached speeds of 100 miles-per-hour. Ravenell said Smith remains a person of interest in the investigation.

Robert Bailey, 35, AKA “Pockets,” of Eutawville, was taken into custody along with Wright shortly after the shooting when investigators following leads visited his home and allegedly found “a quantity of illegal drug.” He was charged with manufacturing marijuana, possession of cocaine, unlawful carrying of a pistol and an outstanding traffic violation of driving under suspension by the S.C. Highway Patrol.

Coroner Samuetta Marshall said the other two victims found at the home were Jerome Butler, 50, whose body was found in the home’s yard, and Krystal Hutto, 28.

Law enforcement officials did not say how the victims were related.

The Orangeburg Times and Democrat reported that Hutto’s life has been hit by tragedy repeatedly with three car accidents that separately claimed the lives of her brother, mother and father.

The paper reported that two years ago, Krystal’s father Kenneth Hutto, 44, was killed in a single-vehicle accident in Holly Hill. Her mother, Mary Jennings Hutto, 41, was killed in a car accident in 2010 in Holly Hill. And the family lost 7-year-old Christopher Hutto when a vehicle struck him in 1993 not far from their home.

The paper also reported that Holly Hill police said Krystal Hutto had rammed her vehicle into a police cruiser, injuring the officer, in May 2013.

She pleaded guilty for failure to stop for a blue light involving great bodily harm and was sentenced to six years, suspended to time served, one year of house arrest, and three years of probation. She was also ordered to complete a drug-rehabilitation program, the report said.

The paper also reported that Sanders had attended Lake Marion High School in Santee. The paper reported her aunt, Chantal Martin, described Sanders as a cheerleader who was looking forward to her senior year in school and graduation.

Ravenell said Wright was scheduled to appear for a bond hearing at 2:30 p.m. Friday.

This story was originally published August 7, 2015 at 12:11 PM.