On the night of April 15, 2018, 23-year-old Verkina Townsend was shot and killed inside a modest home on Windham Street in Bennettsville, South Carolina. Police treated the incident as a homicide and described it as an apparent home invasion; three other people who had been in the residence were physically unharmed. The State Law Enforcement Division assisted local officers processing the house, and investigators released grainy surveillance images of a vehicle seen near 224 Windham Street around the time of the killing.

In mid-May 2018 the Marlboro County Sheriff’s Office announced charges against 28-year-old Eric Quennel Jones and a 16-year-old boy. Both were charged with murder, first-degree burglary, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and criminal conspiracy; authorities said the shooting occurred during a home invasion. Jones faced additional burglary counts and a pointing and presenting a firearm charge; the younger defendant was charged as an adult and faced extra counts including drug and unlawful carry allegations. Public reports do not clearly detail how the court proceedings concluded.

Verkina is remembered by friends and family as warm and sweet, with ties to Marlboro County High School and Northeastern Technical College, and was buried at Word of Life Memorial Garden. Does anyone have information about the case or remember details from that night that could help fill in what happened?