2 who killed SC man in front of children sentenced to 50 years

Two men convicted of forcing their way into a Ridgeland home and fatally shooting a man in the presence of four children were sentenced to 50 years in jail Friday, according to a news release from the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

Casey Kason Jones Jr., 31, and Jarod Bostick, 28, both of Hampton County, were found guilty of murder Thursday in the June 2015 slaying of Jeremiah Wilson, 32, according to the news release. They also were convicted of first-degree burglary and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime after a three-day trial in Jasper County General Sessions Court.

On Friday, both men were sentenced to 50 years — 30 years for murder, 15 for burglary and five for the weapons charge, to be served consecutively.

“Not only did they kill a man in his home, (but the man’s) 11-year-old son was standing there when he answered the door, so these defendants laid eyes on him and knew he was there before they killed his father,” said Assistant Solicitor Mary Concannon Jones said in the release.

Jasper County Sheriff’s Office deputies were sent to a home on Clover Circle in Ridgeland on June 3, 2015, after a report of a gunshot victim, the release said. They arrived to find Wilson lying dead just inside his open front door.

Deputies also found video surveillance camera recordings that showed two men being greeted by Wilson on the porch of his home. A few moments later, they forced their way inside at gunpoint, followed by a third man, who ran from the car into the house. Cameras also captured the three men exiting the home quickly several minutes later and driving away.

Four juveniles were present when Wilson was shot, the release said. Two hid in a closet, and the other two were ordered to the ground by the assailants. Each reported hearing about four gunshots, then seeing the victim lying on the floor.

The Solicitor’s Office reported that Jones’ previous convictions include second-degree burglary and strong-armed robbery from 2009, which resulted in a 10-year sentence that was suspended to six years imprisonment and five years of probation. Bostick has previous convictions for shoplifting and forgery.

A third defendant — Casey Jones’ father, Casey Kason Jones Sr. — was tried on the same three charges but found not guilty of each, the release said.

This story was originally published October 28, 2017 at 8:08 AM.