COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - A man and woman have been charged with murder in the shooting deaths of three people at an Anderson County home, authorities said Friday.
Jared Michael Williams faces multiple charges in the Wednesday shootings at a home in Pelzer, about 100 miles northwest of Columbia, Sheriff John Skipper said during a news conference.
Authorities haven’t said why they think Williams, 32, went to the home and shot four people there, killing all but one. The woman who survived told investigators that she hid under a bed after she was shot and waited for Williams to leave, according to an incident report.
Deputy Coroner Don McCown identified those killed as 40-year-old Wanda Anderson, 48-year-old Victor Vandegrift and 32-year-old Hank Eaton, all of Pelzer. According to investigators, Vandegrift and Eaton lived in the house where the shooting occurred. All three died of gunshot wounds, McCown said Friday.
The woman who survived, 36-year-old Terra Hendricks, was being treated in a Greenville hospital for injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening, authorities said.
Deputies arrested Williams on Wednesday afternoon after a chase that went into neighboring Greenville County and ended when he crashed a stolen truck into a house in Piedmont. Williams was treated at a hospital before being taken to jail, Skipper said.
“This is a complicated process, when you’ve got a lot going on,” Skipper said, of the multi-jurisdictional case. “This is a particular individual that had to be stopped, and had to be stopped no matter what.”
Williams and Hope Phillips, 19, are each charged with murder and grand larceny, Skipper said Friday. Williams also faces additional murder charges and attempted murder for firing at deputies who pursued him. He has also been charged with carjacking for stealing a truck while deputies were pursuing him, Skipper said.
Phillips also faces a charge of accessory after the fact, Skipper said.
Both Williams and Phillips were scheduled to be in court Friday, and prosecutors said that attorneys were still in the process of being appointed for them.
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Kinnard can be reached at https://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP
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