Victim shot 4 times in back by man who claimed self-defense, SC prosecutor says
A man was recently convicted of shooting and killing another man at a Lowcountry motel, according to the 9th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
Following a 4-day trial in a Charleston County courtroom, 46-year-old Corey Arthur White was found guilty of murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime charges, the solicitor’s office said in a news release.
Judge Jennifer McCoy sentenced White to 35 years in a South Carolina Department of Corrections prison on the murder conviction, and 5 years for the weapons conviction, according to the release. The sentences will run concurrently, court records show.
The conviction is connected to a May 2022 shooting where Koshun Hightower was killed, the solicitor’s office said.
On May 23, 2022, Hightower arrived at the Economy Inn on Rivers Avenue in North Charleston, and stayed for several hours in a room occupied by White, according to the release. The room was known for high volumes of drug activity, the solicitor’s office said.
Around 11:45 a.m., White left the room and retrieved a 9mm pistol before going back to the room and shooting Hightower at least seven times, including four times in his back, according to the release. White was seen on surveillance footage both retrieving the gun and then re-entering the room while drawing the firearm he used in the murder, the solicitor’s office said.
Despite the investigation, trial and conviction, a motive for the shooting remains unclear, the solicitor’s office said.
Seven 9mm casings were found as well as a loaded 45 caliber pistol that was in the back of Hightower’s pants, according to the release. After he was arrested, White confessed to shooting Hightower, but claimed he acted in self-defense despite the lack of evidence supporting this claim, the solicitor’s office said. White also testified that he acted in self-defense, but the jury found differently, according to the release.
This was not the first time that White had been arrested, the solicitor’s office said. White’s prior criminal history includes significant amounts drug usage and distribution spanning from the 1990s, as well as a 2008 conviction for third-degree criminal sexual conduct, according to the release.
The case was investigated by the North Charleston Police Department and investigators with the solicitor’s office. Assistant Solicitors Cassity Brewer and Will Hampton led the prosecution, while Luke Dalton was listed as White’s attorney, Charleston County court records show.
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This story was originally published March 17, 2026 at 1:59 PM.
