Judge grants bond to SC man accused of storing girlfriend’s dead body in closet

A Little River man who allegedly stored his 29-year-old dead girlfriend’s body in a bedroom closet while her children were living in the home was granted bond at a Tuesday morning hearing in Conway.

Circuit Court Judge Larry B. Hyman Jr. called the murder charge for Leon Edward Collier III a “very, very, very serious offense” after hearing from both sides on the case as he weighed whether he would grant bond for Collier.

“It would appear there is substantial evidence here,” said Hyman, who granted a “high” bond of $250,000 for Collier during the hearing held at the Horry County Courthouse.

Collier, 46, was arrested Dec. 1 in connection with the murder of his girlfriend, Christian Hope Phipps, of Little River after Horry County police received a call about a suicidal man at a Little River-area apartment building at 4250 Pinehurst Circle, police said.

The caller reported that the man at the residence was threatening to harm himself and making comments that he “may have hurt his girlfriend,” according to a police report.

Officers reported a “foul odor” coming from the house, authorities said.

“Upon arrival they (police) did locate Ms. Christian Phipps in a back bedroom in a closet with charcoal and cat litter on her in an attempt to cover up the smell,” said assistant solicitor Joshua Holford at the bond hearing while describing the case to the judge.

An Horry County coroner’s report stated her manor of death was strangulation and she was deceased for at least five to seven days before she was discovered, Holford said.

Phipps’ children, a 6-year-old girl and 10-year-old boy, were at the residence when police found the body. They were taken into Department of Social Services custody and placed with a family member, police said after Collier’s arrest.

Collier also faces two counts of unlawful neglect of a child in connection with the children being found in unsanitary home conditions and lack of food in the residence, arrest warrants state.

Collier has lived in the Horry County area for more than 13 years and lived in New York previously, according to court statements.

He has a simple possession of marijuana and DWI charge from New York dating back more than 10 years ago and some minor traffic-related charges in South Carolina on his criminal record.

“His prior record is very minor. We don’t feel that he is a danger to the community. … We ask the court for a reasonable bond,” said William Thomas Floyd, Collier’s attorney, who added Collier has strong ties to the area and would live with his mother in the Longs community if granted bond.

While the judge acknowledged the seriousness of the alleged crime, he took the minor criminal past into account and granted bond, but said he wanted someone “looking over his shoulder” while he was out, indicating Collier would be monitored while awaiting trial.

Two women who were present on behalf of the victim during the proceedings declined to comment. One of the women was handed a tissue as she quietly cried during the hearing.

If Collier is released on bond, he would be required to remain in the state, not get arrested for anything, and would need to check in regularly with a bondsman, officials said.

This story was originally published August 31, 2016 at 11:22 AM with the headline "Judge grants bond to SC man accused of storing girlfriend’s dead body in closet."