Judge denies bond for suspect in Cherol's death; possible motives revealed

Standing in shackles in front of a packed courtroom Thursday, the man accused with his wife of murdering Bluffton restaurateur Johnathan Cherol was denied bond in Beaufort County Court.

Samuel Collins, 38, was charged Dec. 3 with murder and possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a violent crime in the Oct. 28 shotgun slaying of Cherol at his 39 Pinecrest Way home.

A prosecutor also revealed two possible motives in the case -- anger over a home robbery and jealousy over a alleged flirtation.

Collins' wife Colette, 34, is also charged with murder. She was assigned a bond of $35,000 Tuesday and remains in the Beaufort County Detention Center.

In denying bond, Circuit Court Judge Michael Nettles determined that Samuel Collins was a danger to the community and a possible flight risk.

While no motive for Cherol's death has been announced by the Bluffton Police Department, 14th Circuit Deputy Solicitor Sean Thornton said in court that investigators are looking into two possible motives.

The first is that Samuel Collins may have believed a robbery at his home was set up by Cherol, Thornton said.

The second theory was that Collins believed his wife may have flirted with Cherol.

When arguing that bond be denied, Thornton said police have gathered evidence from a surveillance camera near the Pinecrest neighborhood from the night Cherol died.

The footage allegedly shows vehicle headlights moving around the community shortly before Cherol was killed.

At one point, two blasts from what investigators believe to be a 12-gage shotgun can be seen on the camera, Thornton said. Those shots are believed to have been fired from someone outside the vehicle, Thornton said.

The vehicle's headlights are then seen returning to the area where the shots were fired. It then leaves the neighborhood.

Thornton said investigators believe Colette Collins drove the car and picked up her husband after he fired the shots that killed Cherol.

Samuel Collins remains in the detention center.

This story was originally published January 21, 2016 at 4:37 PM with the headline "Judge denies bond for suspect in Cherol's death; possible motives revealed."