Two Anderson men were convicted this week for a string of crimes committed on December 29, 2022, that culminated in the death of an innocent 18-year-old woman, announced 10th Circuit Solicitor Micah Black.
On November 24, 2025, after a six-day trial, an Anderson County Jury deliberated for just over two hours before returning several guilty verdicts against Mikial Hykeem Nashaun Ferguson and Nigel Eneiko Valentin Barner. The jury found both defendants guilty of Murder, Possession of a Weapon during the Commission of a Violent Crime, five (5) counts each of Attempted Murder, Armed Robbery, and First-Degree Burglary. The Honorable R. Scott Sprouse sentenced each defendant to forty (40) years in the Department of Corrections for the murder charge, and to several lengthy concurrent sentences on the remaining charges. The lead sentence on the murder conviction must be served day-for-day, meaning the defendants will not be eligible for any kind of early release.
Barner and Ferguson’s crime spree began during the afternoon of December 29, 2022, when they kicked in the door of a residence in Anderson County. The defendants believed the residence was empty, but inside they encountered a young mother and her infant child. They held the woman at gunpoint and ransacked the house before leaving with some jewelry and an AR-15 style rifle. Later that evening, the defendants took the stolen rifle to Fairview Gardens Apartments in the City of Anderson. While there, they fired over 20 shots from multiple guns into an occupied apartment. The barrage of bullets struck three people in the apartment, killing 18-year-old Imani Clemons. Ferguson later took the stolen rifle used in the shooting to a bridge over Lake Hartwell and threw it into the water. Divers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation Underwater Search Team eventually recovered the rifle and confirmed it was the one stolen earlier in the day. Local investigators also recovered cell phones from Barner and Ferguson, which included precise location data putting them at the scene of both crimes and incriminating messages bragging to others about committing the crimes.
Solicitor Black prosecuted the case for the State, with assistance from Deputy Solicitor Josh Thomas, Investigator Frank Wooten, and Victim Advocate Stephanie Joseph. Multiple agencies helped in the investigation of this case, including the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, the Anderson City Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Secret Service, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and the Tenth Circuit Solicitor’s Office. Solicitor Black praised the cooperation and dedication of this multi-agency team in reaching this result, with particular credit to Detective Blake Vaughn and Lt. Brad Whitfield of the Anderson City Police Department and Detective Travis Bolton of the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office. “No verdict or sentence can ever mend the hole left in the Clemons family from Imani’s tragic death, but I hope this conviction and sentence will bring some measure of peace to Imani’s family this holiday season,” Solicitor Black said after sentencing. “I also hope it sends a message that Anderson County will not tolerate violence like these defendants engaged in that day, and that law enforcement and my office will continue to seek the full measure of justice for innocent victims like Imani.”