Man convicted of 2012 murder of 8-year-old boy on Hilton Head appeals

A man convicted of murder and attempted murder of 8-year-old Kahlil Singleton on Hilton Head Island in 2014 sought to overturn a decision from a South Carolina appeals court this week.

The appeals court decided Wednesday to uphold the 2014 conviction of Aaron Young Jr., a news release from the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office states.

Young was sentenced to 30 years in prison following the 2014 conviction.

Singleton was killed when struck by a stray bullet from a gun battle between Young Jr., Aaron Young Sr. and Tyrone Robinson. The bullet that killed Singleton was shot by Robinson, the release says.

The gun battle occurred at various locations on Hilton Head. It started when Robinson drove to the Youngs’ home and fired a .38-caliber handgun during a struggle with Young Sr.

Robinson left, and the Youngs chased him back to his home with a semi-automatic pistol.

Singleton was outside his grandmother’s home when the gun battle broke out. He was unable to make it inside before being struck, the release states.

The murder created outrage on Hilton Head Island, provoking rallies against violence.

A law not used since 1915 in the state was used to convict Young Jr. and Young Sr. The law uses the concept of “mutual combat,” which holds each participate in a shootout responsible for each bullet fired.

Young Jr. — in his appeal — asserted that mutual combat is limited to self-defense and that it didn’t apply to Singleton since he was noncombatant. The court rejected the argument.

The court’s decision could be appealed to the S.C. Supreme Court.

This story was originally published August 23, 2018 at 6:33 PM.