Hearing scheduled for Walter Glass, charged in 2013 murder of Pritchardville's Lowther
A man charged with the murder of a Pritchardville woman in 2013 will be in Beaufort County Court for a hearing Wednesday afternoon, according to the 14th Circuit Solicitor's Office.
Walter Glass was charged with killing Melanie Lowther on July 31, 2013 after he allegedly struck the 60-year-old over the head with a nail remover as he burglarized the septic tank business she ran with her husband.
He was also charged with armed robbery and burglary soon after her body was discovered. A Beaufort County Sheriff's Office investigator testified in Aug. 2013 that Glass confessed to killing Lowther after she caught him stealing coins.
Circuit Judge Carmen Mullen will preside over the hearing at 3 p.m., Erin McGuire of the Solicitor's Office said.
McGuire declined to say what the hearing will be about.
Glass, 43, had been helped by Lowther and her family to get a camper he eventually lived in at the nearby Stoney Crest Campground. She had also bought groceries for Glass and his girlfriend, the campground's manager later said.
Glass underwent a mental evaluation by forensic psychiatrists of the Medical University of South Carolina in April 2014 and an evaluation by defense expert Dr. Thomas Martin in Sept. 2014.
Glass was found competent to stand trial after both of the evaluations, but was diagnosed with psychiatric disorders, Martin said during the bond hearing.
Glass faces 30 years to life in prison if convicted of the murder charge.
Follow Caitlin Turner on Twitter at twitter.com/Cait_E_Turner.
Related Content:
- Man charged with 2013 Pritchardville woman's murder to stand trial Dec. 14, Nov. 12, 2015
- Video: Walter Glass competent to stand trial for 2013 murder of Melanie Lowther, Nov. 12, 2015
This story was originally published December 8, 2015 at 3:07 PM with the headline "Hearing scheduled for Walter Glass, charged in 2013 murder of Pritchardville's Lowther."