Woman is 4th to face murder charges in slayings of St. Helena man and his nephew

A Lady’s Island woman is the fourth person charged with murder in the slayings of Robert Blanding and his nephew Chaz Blanding in late November.

Symone Jones, 20, of Lady’s Island, turned herself in to investigators in Beaufort on Monday and faces charges on two counts of murder, according to a news release from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. She is being held at the Beaufort County Detention Center. No bond had been set on Tuesday morning.

Channon Preston Jr., 18, of Lady’s Island, also was charged with two counts of murder on Monday, the news release said. He had been arrested Dec. 1 on accessory charges and already was being held in the Beaufort County Detention Center. No bond had been set on any of his charges.

The body of 25-year-old Robert Blanding, of St. Helena Island, was found in a Lady’s Island drainage ditch with multiple gunshot wounds on Nov. 22. He had last been seen leaving the home of his 18-year-old nephew Chaz Blanding the night before.

Chaz Blanding’s body was found a week and a half later — on Dec. 2 — also with multiple gunshot wounds near a wooded area along Simmons Road.

The Blandings were like brothers, their friends said.

Raheem Bennett, 16, of St. Helena Island, a ninth-grader at Beaufort High School, was arrested in the case Nov. 28. Nashon Pringle, 18, of St. Helena Island, was arrested Dec. 4. Both face murder and weapons possession charges.

The investigation is ongoing, according to the news release.

Anyone with information about the Blandings’ slayings may call Sgt. Brandon Disbrow at 843-255-3407 or CrimeStoppers at 1-888-CrimeSC.

This story was originally published December 12, 2017 at 7:02 AM with the headline "Woman is 4th to face murder charges in slayings of St. Helena man and his nephew."