Murder charge dismissed after Beaufort woman shot roommate in head. Was it self-defense?
The 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office has dismissed all charges initially filed against a Beaufort woman accused in the murder of her roommate in August of last year. State prosecutors said they were unable to disprove she was acting in self-defense.
Renita Talia Boardman, 34, was cleared of murder and a felony firearms offense on April 24. She had been in custody at the Beaufort County Detention Center since her arrest in late October 2023. Circuit Court Judge Robert J. Bonds denied her attorney’s motion to set bond in mid-December, ruling that Boardman was a danger to the community.
Beaufort police responded to the Spanish Trace Apartments around 8:15 a.m. on Aug. 19 after receiving a report of a gunshot wound. There they found 37-year-old Yemassee resident Tyrone Richmond, who had been shot once in the head. First responders rushed him to the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, where he died two days later.
Investigators previously said Boardman and Richmond had been arguing over property. As the dispute began to escalate, Boardman retrieved a handgun from a safe in her bedroom, returned to the apartment’s common area and shot the man, according to arrest warrants.
Boardman did not flee the scene and was present when police arrived, The Island News reported, but no charges were sought until over a month later. Richmond was temporarily living with Boardman while he went through a divorce with his estranged wife.
Although the murder charge was dropped due to probable self-defense, the exact circumstances of the argument that led to Richmond’s death are unclear. South Carolina law offers broad protections to those claiming self-defense after using deadly force, including the well-known “Stand Your Ground” principle and the “Castle Doctrine,” which says a person’s home, car or place of business is their “castle” in which they have a right to protect themselves.
Chief Stephenie Price, a spokeswoman for the Beaufort Police Department, declined to comment on the homicide’s developments. Boardman and her public defender could not be reached by phone.
This story was originally published June 6, 2024 at 2:12 PM.
