Second man accused in 2019 kidnapping of couple on St. Helena is back in jail, officials say
Nearly two weeks after a jury convicted a St. Helena man in an alleged kidnapping and assault on a former friend, his cohort in the incident was back in custody at the detention center Tuesday on a bond revocation, jail records show.
Don “Chris” Bliss, 45, of Beaufort, was charged with kidnapping, first-degree assault and battery and possession of a weapon in the commission of a violent crime in 2019.
Justin Brodie Granet, 45, of St. Helena Island, Bliss’ friend, faced the same charges and was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Feb. 16 after a jury found him guilty on all charges.
Court records show Bliss allegedly did not comply with the terms of his bond for the assault and kidnapping and for several other charges in connection to unrelated incidents.
Juan Tolley, Bliss’ attorney, could not immediately be reached for comment.
During Granet’s trial, defense attorney Scott Lee claimed Granet was acting out of self-defense and that the man who was beaten, identified as Corey Eckles, was the one who instigated the fighting.
Hannah Kidd, an attorney with the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office prosecuting the case, said that Bliss was Granet’s “sidekick” and that the two of them “lured” Eckles and his wife, Lauren Eckles, to Granet’s home in March 2019, where the beating took place.
Bliss has yet to go to trial in this case.
Here’s what happened
On March 11, 2019, Eckles, who attorneys said in court was a friend to both Bliss and Granet, drove to Beaufort County from his home in Tennessee with his wife. In court testimony, the couple said that they made the trip to “comfort” Granet after it was revealed his wife had had an affair. When the couple got there, they said, they were greeted warmly by both men and, as they were leaving, were attacked.
Lauren Eckles told the jury during Granet’s trial that Bliss allegedly held her at gunpoint while Granet beat up her husband. The couple said they were restrained with both duct tape and zip ties until police arrived.
Granet’s version during testimony was that his wife told him of an affair with Eckles and that he had tried to blackmail her. Granet claimed he “never intended for anybody to get hurt” and that he simply wanted Eckles to admit he’d had an affair with his wife.
After the incident, Eckles was taken to Beaufort Memorial Hospital and later to the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston for treatment of injuries that included a brain bleed and skull fractures. In interviews with police played during his trial, Granet said that his hand was injured during the incident.
As of Tuesday afternoon, both Granet and Bliss were in custody at the Beaufort County Detention Center.
This story was originally published February 28, 2023 at 3:54 PM.
