Police ask for public’s help to find man who skipped bond after 2018 Jasper Co. homicide
A Hampton man is wanted for failing to appear in court in a case where he is accused of killing an Estill teenager who was found in Jasper County in 2018.
The S.C Law Enforcement Division and Crime Stoppers of the Lowcountry are asking for help locating Javeris Tremane Williams, 29, of Hampton for violating his bond by not appearing in court, according to a Facebook post on Tuesday.
The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office charged Williams with one count of murder, one count of armed robbery, and one count of possession of a weapon during a violent crime in 2018.
U.S Marshals arrested him at a motel in Columbia more than a week after authorities found the body of 17-year-old from Estill at a rural Jasper County intersection.
Samquan Frazier, 17, was found just after 9 a.m. Sept. 30, 2018, with a gunshot wound in his stomach at S.C. 3 and Pineland Road.
Arrest warrants state he was charged using information from a witness as well as a statement Frazier made to authorities before he died.
Out on bond
Williams was in jail awaiting trial for nearly two years.
On Aug. 31, 2020, 14th Circuit Judge Brooks Goldsmith granted Williams a $50,000 surety bond on each of his charges. Surety bonds allow people to get out of jail by paying a portion of their bond, on the condition that they will return to court.
Williams’ bond was revoked on Dec. 22, 2020 after he didn’t show up in court, documents show.
“You know what I know,” said Jared Newman, an attorney representing Williams, when asked why his client didn’t go to court.
As the COVID-19 pandemic ravages jails across the country and criminal court has slowed to a crawl, inmates have been released from jail in unprecedented numbers. At the same time, thousands have died from coronavirus while jailed and facing charges they haven’t been convicted of, a Reuters investigation found.
“We requested bond, and he was granted it,” said Newman. He said they sought his release not because of COVID but because of “The Bill of Rights.”
Investigation
SLED is handling the investigation to locate Williams.
A cash reward of up to $1,000 is being offered for any tip that leads to his arrest.
Those with information can contact Crime Stoppers of the Lowcountry at (843) 554-1111.
This story was originally published January 26, 2021 at 2:07 PM.
