Two men charged with murder after a body was found on a porch, SC cops say
Two men were charged with murder a week after a body was found on the porch of a South Carolina home, the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday.
Austin Blake Satcher, 26, and Zackery Taylor Smith, 28, each were charged with murder and first-degree burglary, the sheriff’s office said in a news release. Satcher was also charged with possession of a weapon during a violent crime, according to the release.
The charges are connected to the death of Joseph A. Keenan Sr., the sheriff’s office said.
On Jan. 31, a passerby called the sheriff’s office to report seeing a body on the porch of a home in the 2000 block of Augusta Road, and the victim was later identified as the 52-year-old homeowner, according to Aiken County Coroner Darryl Ables.
Keenan had been shot to death, the coroner’s office said.
Smith was taken into custody, without incident, at a home in the 200 block of Pelzer Street in Warrenville Wednesday, the sheriff’s office said. That’s about a mile from where Keenan’s body was discovered.
Satcher was already being held at the Aiken County Detention Center on unrelated charges, when the new charges were issued, according to the release.
The sheriff’s office thanked the community for information that assisted with the investigation, but did not say how it connected Satcher and Smith to the shooting or provide information about a motive. There was no word if Satcher and Smith had any relationship with Keenan prior to the shooting.
Despite the arrests, the sheriff’s office said its investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 803-648-6811, CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.
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This story was originally published February 8, 2024 at 12:07 PM with the headline "Two men charged with murder after a body was found on a porch, SC cops say."
