Darrell Lewis Hamilton, 31, was found dead in the driver’s seat of his Toyota Tundra near Rosemary Road and Point South Road in Yemassee, South Carolina, in the early morning hours of May 5, 2017. The truck’s engine was running and his foot was on the gas pedal when he was discovered; an autopsy confirmed he had been shot three times, one wound fatal.

Investigators say Hamilton had spent the night of May 4 socializing and firing guns with Alvin Mitchell and a third friend. After dropping off the third person, a confrontation occurred between Hamilton and Mitchell that ended in Hamilton’s death. Evidence at the scene included blood-covered $100 bills, .45-caliber shell casings, and a house key belonging to Mitchell’s girlfriend with Hamilton’s blood on it. Drops of Mitchell’s blood and clothing were found at a nearby abandoned home, and investigators reported Mitchell had trimmed his beard.

Alvin Mitchell, 28 of Jasper County, was arrested and charged with murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. At a three-day trial in August 2019 the jury convicted him on both counts and he received life plus five years. Does anyone have information about Hamilton’s last hours or the people he was with that night?