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Date: 08-16-2024
Case Style:
State of South Carolina v. Shelton Brown
Case Number:
Judge: Not Available
Court: 9th Judicial Circuit Court, Charleston County, South Carolina
Plaintiff's Attorney: 9th Circuit Solicitor's Office
Defendant's Attorney:
Description:
Charleston, South Carolina murder, first-degree burglary, second-degree arson and possession of a weapon during a violent crime charges criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant.
Shelton Brown was accused of killing Essie Benekin in her home after breaking in and attepting to burn the house down on the way out.
The perpetrator stabbed or cut the victim more than 130 times.
Witnesses for the state also included DNA experts. They testified that DNA from Brown matched many places in the house. Investigators found droplets of Brown’s blood near the front and back doors and across the home. They found Brown’s DNA on the handle of the knife at the crime scene. They also found a glove with Brown’s DNA outside the home in the direction of the five-minute walk to Brown’s home.
S.C. Code § 16-3-10 defines murder as follows: "Murder" is the killing of any personal with malice aforethough, either express or implied.
S.C. Code § 16-11-311 First-Degree Burglary:
(A) A person is guilty of burglary in the first degree if the person enters a dwelling without consent and with intent to commit a crime in the dwelling, and either:
(1) when, in effecting entry or while in the dwelling or in immediate flight, he or another participant in the crime:
(a) is armed with a deadly weapon or explosive; or
(b) causes physical injury to a person who is not a participant in the crime; or
(c) uses or threatens the use of a dangerous instrument; or
(d) displays what is or appears to be a knife, pistol, revolver, rifle, shotgun, machine gun, or other firearm; or
(2) the burglary is committed by a person with a prior record of two or more convictions for burglary or housebreaking or a combination of both; or
(3) the entering or remaining occurs in the nighttime.
(B) Burglary in the first degree is a felony punishable by life imprisonment. For purposes of this section, "life" means until death. The court, in its discretion, may sentence the defendant to a term of not less than fifteen years.
Outcome: Guilty
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments: