A Walterboro man who shot his ex-girlfriend to death while out on bail for a charge of domestic violence against her has been sent to prison.
The shocking killing of a woman as she sat parked next to a police car came to a dramatic end with the help of video showing the accused gunman approaching her car, according to prosecutors in South Carolina. Justin Cole Carroll shot his ex-girlfriend Donasia Alexus Holloway seconds later, outside her apartment in Walterboro, the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office said in a news release.
A jury found Carroll guilty Wednesday, April 24, and he was sentenced to 60 years in prison, officials said. The killing happened May 22, 2021, while Carroll was “out on bail for a charge of domestic violence” involving Holloway, officials said. “Donasia tried to end this toxic relationship, and she tried to protect herself from her ex-boyfriend’s jealous rage,” prosecutor Hunter Swanson of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office said. “But Justin Carroll refused to take no for an answer. He ignored a no-contact order, stalked her and killed her.” The shooting happened around 10 p.m. on May 22, 2021, after the victim sat in her car at the Point Apartment complex in Walterboro, SC, officials said.
The two “dated several months,” before Holloway ended the relationship due to instances of domestic violence, officials said. Holloway was returning from a beach trip when Carroll’s truck began following her vehicle around 10 p.m., officials said.
“Fearing for her safety, Holloway parked next to a Walterboro Police Department cruiser assigned to a neighbor in the complex,” prosecutors said. “She locked herself inside her silver Lexus, then made a short video post to Snapchat, in which she said Carroll’s behavior ‘has to stop.’ The video showed her ex-boyfriend approaching the vehicle.
Apartment security cameras also captured Carroll walking toward the car just before multiple gunshots were fired,” officials said. The police car was assigned to an officer who lived in the complex. He discovered Holloway dead in the front seat of her car, with wounds to the head and neck, officials said. Carroll, 24, was a suspect but “authorities lacked sufficient evidence” — until the Snapchat video was found two days later on Holloway’s phone, according to officials.
“Laboratory tests conducted at the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division also revealed Carroll had gunshot residue on his right hand, and an analysis of his cellphone indicated it had been wiped clean shortly after the murder. Investigators also noticed Carroll had attempted to change his appearance by shaving his head,” officials said. Carroll, convicted in 2016 of first-degree assault and battery, met Holloway not long after being released from a three-year prison sentence, officials said.
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