STANLEY DEHART SENTENCED TO 40 YEARS IN PRISON

(Anderson, SC). The Honorable Cordell Maddox accepted a guilty plea today from 30-year old Stanley Burson Dehart III. DeHart pled to the Murder of 16-year old Talia Ashley along with several other charges. DeHart was sentenced to the following: 

1. Murder: 30 years 
2. Arson 2nd degree: 25 years concurrent with the Murder
3. Assault and Battery with Intent to Kill: 10 years consecutive to the 30 year Murder sentence
4. Malicious Injury to Personal Property: 5 years concurrent with the Murder 
5. Conspiracy: 5 years concurrent with the Murder 

On April 23, 2007, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office and Anderson County Fire Department responded to a burning trailer on Beta Street in Anderson County. The defendant was at the scene and reported that his live-in girlfriend was still inside the burning trailer. After the fire was contained, the body of 16-year old Talia Ashley was discovered. An autopsy revealed that the victim had died of blunt force trauma to the head and that her death occurred prior to the fire being set. The murder weapon, a large rock, was found outside the defendant’s mother’s home and SLED testing confirmed the presence of both the victim and defendant’s DNA. Investigators also obtained a full written confession from the Defendant. 

While incarcerated, Dehart and a fellow prisoner conspired to escape from the Anderson County Detention Center and assaulted a detention officer in their attempt to escape. Dehart held the detention officer as the other inmate repeatedly hit him in the face and head. Prior to the attack on the officer, the 2 inmates destroyed a video camera in order to avoid the incident being recorded.