2015 Beaufort County killings: Year breaks record for homicides

Editor's note: This story was updated Jan. 13 to revise the number of homicides in Beaufort County in 2015 and to include new information on arrests. The day the story was published, Jan. 7, the remains of Ver'mon Steve, of Beaufort, were identified after they were located on Pea Patch Lane on St. Helena Island in October, making the new number of homicides 17.

This past year was the deadliest in Beaufort County in at least the past 20 years, more than doubling last year's number of homicides.



The Wednesday discovery of a body in Burton brings the number of homicides believed to have occurred in 2015 to 17, only the third time since 1996 that the number of killings has reached double digits. Six homicides were reported in 2014, and only three in 2013. The previous record is believed to have been 12 in 2012.



In May, when the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette first reported about the large number of killings, Sheriff P.J. Tanner said he didn't see a trend developing.

Today, he's changed his mind.



"Not only have we seen an increase in Beaufort County, I think we've seen an increase in a lot of areas in the state and the country," Tanner said Wednesday. "It's trending in the wrong direction."



In May, Tanner cited his department's School Resource Officer program to combat the prevalence of guns, especially among teenagers. 



He now believes such programs may not be enough.



"A law abiding citizen enjoys the Second Amendment, which I completely support," Tanner said. "We aren't having issues with those folks. The ones we are having the problems with are the ones who aren't going to hear us. They are going to listen to what they feel ... the street is saying. Their education, opposition and counterparts are street-level." 



Asked what steps he would take to try to combat the trend, Tanner said the Sheriff's Office has increased patrols in problem areas. The areas change daily based on the number -- and severity -- of calls for service in different areas. The department has used that approach in all of Tanner's 34 years in law enforcement, he said. 



"It's always worked," Tanner said. "When it hasn't worked as well is when we are strapped with so many things going on that you do not have the resources you want to."



Although violent crime is far from predictable, Tanner said the presence of marked patrol cars in high-call areas can be a deterrent. 



"I wish I had a crystal ball on my desk to look into the future to find out what we can do to better predict it," he said.

One thing is clear, though. The area north of the Broad River was more deadly last year. Twelve of the 17 killings occurred there. Tanner pointed to parts of the county he described as being plagued by drug deals, gang activity and deadly turf wars.



Herbert Glaze, an assistant principal at Beaufort High School and a former Beaufort County Council member, leads the local group Citizens Against Violence Everywhere, or C.A.V.E. He spoke for many following the Christmas Eve shooting death of 38-year-old Henry Jerome Frazier on the Beaufort's Greene Street.



"The bottom line is we need to stop the funerals," Glaze said. He acknowledged there is no easy answer on how to prevent the violence.



"There is no magic wand to stop people from behaving the way that they do," he said.



At least 14 of the last year's 17 victims were killed by guns. The cause of death for Katherine Collier and Titus Singleton is not yet known.



Tanner called the five homicides that happened south of Broad River unusual and said most are the result of the cause and effect of a rising population. 



"That causes a litany of different challenges," he said. "Drug use, alcohol use -- all those things increase. Eventually, what you'll have is an increase in larceny, domestic issues, fights and then gunplay."



The high-profile cases of Dominique Williams, Rhashard Spikes and Johnathan Cherol showed that highly populated areas were not exempt.



Regardless of the geography, one thing unites all of the killings.



"There's a lack of fear of consequence," Tanner said. 



Tanner said giving the penalties for the unlawful carry of a firearm more teeth would help the homicide rate fall.



He said deputies on routine patrols are making approximately 100 to 200 unlawful carry cases a year .



"We've seen more cases of unlawful carry and stolen firearms recovered from traffic stops or drug cases in general," Tanner said. 



Among the things that trouble Tanner most are the ages of both the victims and many of the suspects. 



"There may be a couple of personal things going on, jealousy and rage, that our younger generation doesn't have the ability to cope or deal with," Tanner said. "A lot of these young guys out there aren't looking toward the future."

Small-screen users: Swipe chart to the left to see its full extent. Tap or click the line for the exact value at each year.

Homicide map

A DEADLY START TO 2016



Seven days into the new year, police are already investigating three homicides.



The body of a woman, identified as Katherine Collier, 25, was found buried in a shallow grave in Burton on Wednesday. Beaufort County Sheriff's Office Capt. Bob Bromage said investigators believe she was killed in 2015. That would raise the number of homicides to 17 for last year.



Sheriff's Office investigators believe her death is related to the death of Titus Singleton, a Beaufort man whose body was found burned inside a car in Yemassee Dec. 18.



Nancy Kennedy, 56, Charles Brown, 28, and Olin Brown, 29, of Burton were arrested in connection with Singleton's death. 



Investigators believe his death may be related to the unidentified woman's because she was found buried on the Brown family's property on Toro Lane in Burton.



Without a body, Ver'mon Steve's disappearance reported Oct. 25 couldn't even be called a homicide. But on Jan. 8, the Beaufort Police Department was able to announce the arrest of Tyrone Wallace, 21, whom they charged with murder.

The Bluffton Police Department is investigating the shooting death of Jon Kinlaw, 29, who died Jan. 3 in the Dollar General parking lot after he was shot in the chest.



Kyron Primus, 17, was arrested Jan. 8 and charged with murder by the Bluffton Police Department in Kinlaw's death.

Follow Caitlin Turner on Twitter at twitter.com/Cait_E_Turner.

Related Content:

• Year of the gun: Beaufort County on track to have a record number of murders this year, May 16, 2015

This story was originally published January 7, 2016 at 4:17 PM with the headline "2015 Beaufort County killings: Year breaks record for homicides."