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Police: Teen suspect in Ridgeland homicide knew victim; may face trial as an adult

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RIDGELAND -- A 15-year-old boy who apparently knew his victim may be charged as an adult in the brutal slaying of Proctor Bright, a well-known, 86-year-old mechanic killed in his home last week, the Jasper County Sheriff said Wednesday afternoon.

Bright was beaten and shot to death in his Grahamville Road home.

He was killed sometime between late Thursday night and early Friday morning, the sheriff's office said. His body was discovered Saturday morning.

While Bright and the young suspect -- who has a Ridgeland address -- apparently knew one another, authorities declined to provide specific details about the nature of that relationship.

"We feel that there is some connection... the length of time we're not certain about," Jasper County Sheriff Gregory Jenkins said during a press conference Wednesday.

"We believe there's a relationship that would have warranted (trust)," Jenkins said.

The suspect, whose name is not being released because he is a juvenile, was arrested Wednesday in Greensboro, N.C., Jenkins said. Investigators, who haven't spoken with the boy's parents, are still not sure what he was doing there.

Based on conversations with the suspect after his arrest, Jenkins said authorities believe the teen was attempting to rob Bright's home -- and may have entered through a back window -- before the scene turned violent.

"It began as a robbery. From that point, it apparently escalated," the sheriff said.

An autopsy performed Sunday at Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston revealed Bright was stabbed, hit twice with a blunt object and shot in the head.

The suspect faces six charges:

• murder

• armed robbery

• burglary in the first degree

• possession of a firearm in the commission of a violent crime

• being a runaway juvenile

• being an ungovernable juvenile

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Sheriff's Office said Wednesday it is working to have the teen tried as an adult.

If he is prosecuted as a juvenile, he could be incarcerated only until the age of 21.

The suspect will have a hearing, likely in Beaufort on Friday, when prosecutors will ask that he be detained until his trial, 14th Circuit Solicitor Duffie Stone said.

Prosecutors will also ask that the teen undergo a 30-day psychological evaluation in Columbia. The findings from that examination will be presented to a family court judge, who will decide whether to try the youth as an adult.

Investigators said the 15 year old wasn't a suspect initially.

"As the investigation unfolded, it led to him," Jenkins said.

Jenkins said he didn't know if the suspect had a criminal record. The teen is being held somewhere in South Carolina. Jenkins declined to provide a specific location. He said it's not clear if there are other suspects in the homicide.

THE BACKGROUND

Bright's body was discovered by his daughter early Saturday morning. She had spoken with her father early Thursday evening and had no contact with him Friday.

The first break in the case came Saturday when investigators found Bright's car in Manning, about 100 miles north of Ridgeland.

The teen called a tow truck driver after the vehicle broke down, authorities have said.

Once there, the tow truck driver bought a .22 caliber rifle from the suspect and drove him to a nearby bus station.

Wednesday, Jenkins said that weapon may have been the one used to kill Bright.

The State Law Enforcement Division is processing the rifle for clues. Jenkins said his investigators have not spoken with the tow truck driver directly.

THE VICTIM

Bright was an iconic figure in the Ridgeland community.

He was a mechanic and decorated World War II veteran who owned the oldest, continuously operating black business in Jasper County. He was once a 4H leader, taught mechanics and welding at Jasper High School, and served as a board member at Live Oak Hospital.

He volunteered at Ridgeland Nursing Home and had served as a Sunday school teacher, musician and deacon at his church.

He was the author of a book of short stories about his life called "Whistle for the Wind," which was published last year.

Bright was honored last year by the South Carolina State Senate for his outstanding citizenship.

In Ridgeland, March 29 is officially "Proctor Bright Day."

A TOWN IN SHOCK

Much of Ridgeland was mourning Bright's passing Wednesday.

Many Jasper County Sheriff's Office employees, including the sheriff, had personal ties to the man everyone in town seemed to know. Jenkins said last week he had known the victim all his life.

The investigation "was and still is" hard on the department, Jenkins said.

Wednesday afternoon, family and friends sat on folding chairs and shared a take-out meal at Bright's Service Garage -- just across the street from the home where the family patriarch was slain.

By early evening, about 70 names had already been signed on a guest list in the corner of the garage, which had been decorated with a single white and green wreath.

A granddaughter -- one of 10 grandchildren -- remembered her grandfather as an avid fisherman who invited each grandchild on a solo fishing trip.

"There's not a person around here that didn't know him," one niece said as she sat in front of a fan in the darkened garage. "If you didn't know him, you weren't from around here."

Island Packet reporter Daniel Brownstein contributed to this report.

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