Two sentenced in murder, conspiracy
A Beaufort County woman has been sentenced to 45 years in prison in connection with the death of the father of one of her two children.
Her co-defendant and once boyfriend was earlier sentenced to 38 years in prison.
Jasmine N. Femia, 23, was found guilty of murder and conspiracy in the shooting death of Nicholas Degros, who was shot multiple times outside his Beaufort home on Jan. 9, 2015.
Femia orchestrated Degros’s death by manipulating her co-defendant, Anthony Ellison, to shoot and kill Degros, according to Career Criminal Prosecutor Hunter P. Swanson.
Femia purchased the murder weapon and rented the vehicle used in Degros’s murder. She made sure that Ellison knew how to get to Degros’s house on Washington Street and even made sure they went to Walmart following the shooting as an alibi.
“She did everything but pull the trigger,” Swanson told the jury during the two-day trial. “Anthony Ellison was her weapon.”
Ellison, 39, pleaded guilty on Aug. 9 to conspiracy and murder in the death of Degros.
Circuit Court Judge Michael Nettles sentenced Femia on Aug. 24 to 45 years in prison. Nettles also handed down Ellison’s 38-year sentence.
Police searching for missing man
Port Royal Police are searching for a person who went missing from an assisted living facility.
Roy Flannagan left the facility and may be in the area of King Street in Beaufort.
Anyone with information regarding Flannagan is urged to call the Port Royal Police Department at 843-986-2220, BCSO Dispatch at 843-524-2777 or Crimestoppers at 1-888-274-6372.
Fisherman finds body of man in creek
A fisherman in the area of a creek off of the Whale Branch River discovered what appeared to be a human body just before noon on Aug. 24.
The fisherman notified the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), which in turn notified the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Both agencies responded and the body, believed to be that of an adult male, was recovered from the creek.
The man was wearing clothing similar to what 67-year-old Richard Heyward was wearing when last seen and reported missing on Aug. 19.
The Beaufort County Coroner’s Office said a forensic autopsy will be performed at the Medical University of South Carolina to determine the cause/manner of death and the identity of the man.
Sheriff’s office seeking clues in shooting
Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a report of a gunshot victim outside a residence on Cleveland Drive in Shell Point at approximately 10 a.m. on Aug. 24.
The victim was transported to the Beaufort Memorial Hospital, where he was treated for a single gunshot wound to the neck. He is expected to recover.
The suspect in the shooting was described as an African-American male, who is believed to have been driving a black Toyota Avalon.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Cpl. Jason Malphrus at 843-255-3426 or CrimeStoppers 1-888-CrimeSC to remain anonymous and for possible reward.
Car accidents dominate weekend
The Burton Fire District responded to four motor vehicle accidents over the weekend of Aug. 26, resulting in six people being transported to Beaufort Memorial Hospital, two with potentially serious injuries.
The most serious accidents occurred on Trask Parkway.
The first wreck occurred just after 5 p.m. Aug. 27 on Trask Parkway by Busby Lane in the Gray’s Hill area. This two-vehicle accident resulted in both drivers being transported to the hospital, with an elderly female driver suffering serious injuries.
The second accident on Trask Parkway occurred at about 4:30 a.m. Aug. 28 just before the Laurel Bay intersection. This two-vehicle head-on collision resulted in both drivers being transported to the hospital, with one driver suffering potentially serious injuries.
Also, just before 4 a.m. Aug 28, Burton firefighters assisted a female driver who struck a tree on Castle Rock Road and was transported with non-life threatening injuries. Later that evening, Burton firefighters were called to assist a motorcyclist involved in an accident on Savannah Highway which resulted in the male operator being transported to Beaufort Memorial with non-life threatening injuries.
The Burton Fire District has responded to approximately 195 motor vehicle accidents in 2016.
