Man guilty of executing three of ‘his supposed friends,’ SC prosecutor says
A South Carolina man was recently convicted on three murder charges and other crimes, according to the 9th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
On May 23, a Berkeley County jury found JayQuan Tyheim Washington guilty of the murders of Malik Gibbs, Desmond Williams and Martice Green, the solicitor’s office said Tuesday in a news release. Washington was also found guilty of three counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, according to the release.
Following a weeklong trial and the jury’s verdict, Judge Dale Van Slambrook sentenced Washington to life in prison, the solicitor’s office said.
Testimony in the trial showed that on Jan. 20, 2020, Washington planned the shooting “and patiently waited for the perfect moment to execute his supposed friends,” the solicitor’s office said.
Washington was a passenger in a vehicle driven by Gibbs, while the other two victims were also passengers, according to the release. After spending hours together in the vehicle and waiting for the car to be on a remote gravel road in the Pineville area of Berkeley County, Washington killed Gibbs, Williams and Green, the solicitor’s office said.
“He first executed the unsuspecting passengers Green and Williams with single gunshots while they were seated in the moving car,” the solicitor’s office said.
Gibbs veered off the road into a field and attempted to run away, according to the release. Washington chased Gibbs and shot him three times before putting Gibbs’ body back in the car with the dead bodies of their friends, the solicitor’s office said.
Information about a motive for the deadly gunfire was not available, but the solicitor’s office said Washington is a gang member who was engaged in gang-related activities.
Washington then walked away and sent a message of “Doa” to another gang member after the deadly shootings, according to the solicitor’s office.
Washington was arrested Jan. 24, 2020, Berkeley County court records show.
Special Counsel Stephanie Linder along with Assistant Solicitors Ashleigh Brown and Michael Secrist prosecuted this case for the solicitor’s office, with assistance from solicitor’s office investigators Dustin Morris and Tom Rostin. Berkeley County Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Gilbreath provided valuable insight into Washington’s communications and location throughout the day of the murders, according to the release.
Mount Pleasant attorney Ashley Cornwell was listed as Washington’s lawyer, court records show.
Linder said she hopes the verdict “will assist the victims’ families and community of Pineville begin to heal after the brazen killings,” according to the release.
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