Roger Lane Qualls, a 63-year-old white man and former painter who enjoyed fishing, was found dead from gunshot wounds at a residence on Qualls Hill Drive in the Madison Community near the Georgia line. Deputies and paramedics responded to a 2:15 p.m. call on Sunday, August 30, 2020; the Oconee County Coroner identified Qualls and his injuries proved fatal at the scene.

The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office launched an immediate investigation and appealed to the public for information. Nearly ten months later, investigators developed evidence sufficient to obtain arrest warrants. On June 16, 2021, warrants were issued for Larry Thomas Henderson, 23, of Gaffney, South Carolina. Evidence in the file alleges Qualls was shot multiple times with a small-caliber pistol.

Henderson was in custody in Cherokee County on unrelated charges when the murder warrants issued. He was later transferred to Oconee County and formally charged with Murder and Possession of a Weapon during the Commission of a Violent Crime; bond was denied and he remains held with a Cherokee County hold. The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate. Anyone with information about Qualls or the shooting is asked to come forward.