10th Circuit Solicitor

10TH CIRCUIT SOLICITOR ANNOUNCES DECISION REGARDING JONES INVESTIGATION

Click on link below to open with Adobe Acrobat Reader:2009-11-12 14:17:38

October 21, 2009
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(Anderson, SC). An Anderson County jury found Christopher Ellis guilty today of the murder of 25-year-old Erica Olson and also guilty for the death of the child Ms. Olson was carrying at the time of her death. The Honorable Cordell Maddox sentenced Ellis to life without parole 

On October 23, 2006, Anderson Police Department officers arrived at Fairview Gardens in reference to a desperate 911 call for help that ended in a hangup. When they arrived, the victim’s daughter, age 7 at the time, opened the door and told them that Christopher Ellis had stabbed her mother and then stabbed himself. The officers removed the little girl from the scene and entered the apartment to find Erica Olson lying on the floor with numerous stab wounds. The defendant, Christopher Ellis, also had stab wounds to his stomach and throat that were believed to be self-inflicted. The murder weapon, a kitchen butcher knife, was found lying near the defendant covered in his blood with his fingerprints on it. There was a history of domestic violence in this case. Several people testified that the victim was scared of the defendant and that she was planning to leave him. 

“This was a horrific crime, committed in front of a 7 year old child by someone with a previous history of domestic abuse against the victim, a fact I hope will not be lost on those in our community who today find themselves in abusive relationships. We are grateful to the jury and pleased that this defendant will be locked away for the rest of his life.” Solicitor Chrissy Adams. 

October 16, 2009
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(Anderson, SC). The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. Manoj Chokski is now complete. There will be no additional charges filed against the juvenile who was charged in a shoplifting incident that took place about an hour before Mr. Chokski’s death. 

Mr. Chokski was working at the Fast Fuel Store at 221 W. Main Street in Williamston on September 29, 2009, when a juvenile entered the store and took several items without paying for them. After attempting to apprehend the juvenile, law enforcement was called to the scene, after which Mr. Chokski returned to work in the store. Video at the scene shows that approximately one hour after the incident, Mr. Chokski collapsed in the store and later died. According to the pathologist’s report, Mr. Chokski had severe heart disease and was most likely having a heart attack several hours before the altercation occurred. Therefore, no charges will be filed against the juvenile in question in relation to the death of Mr. Chokski. 

October 16, 2009
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(Anderson, SC). In a trial today in Oconee General Sessions Court, the
Honorable Alex Macaulay issued an order committing Jason Mark Carter to
the Department of Mental Health. In a bench trial requested by the
defendant, Judge Macaulay found Carter not guilty by reason of insanity of
the murder of his mother and stepfather, Debbie and Kevin Perkins. Carter
had undergone numerous mental evaluations by multiple psychiatrists and
received court-ordered medication since his arrest in March of 2006. Not
Guilty by Reason of Insanity is defined under SC Code Section 17-24-10 as
“…at the time of the commission of the act constituting the offense, the
defendant, as a result of mental disease or defect, lacked the capacity to
distinguish moral or legal right from moral or legal wrong or to recognize
the particular act charged as morally or legally wrong.”

Copies of the Order to Commit to Department of Mental Health, the final
mental evaluation, and Facts of the Crime as submitted to the Court are
attached.

“Our sympathy goes out to the family members and friends of these two
innocent victims, Debbie and Kevin Perkins. While this is not the outcome
we had hoped for, removing Jason Mark Carter from the community and
placing him in a secure facility, potentially for the rest of his life, will
provide a measure of safety to those family members, friends and to the
community as a whole.” Solicitor Chrissy Adams.

Nathan Dickson pled guilty today, September 21, 2009, in Anderson County General Sessions court to four counts of murder and four counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. The State agreed not to seek the death penalty in exchange for his plea. The Honorable Cordell Maddox presided. 

The facts were stated as follows:
On Saturday morning, April 26, 2008, law enforcement responded to 153 Pine Lake Drive in Anderson County in reference to a 911 call that had abruptly ended. When the officers arrived they found the bodies of 46 year old Andy Dickson, 14 year old Taylor Dickson, 41 year old Maritza Hurtado Dickson, and 19 year old Jiliam Salazar, all of whom had been fatally shot. The police immediately tried to locate anyone else who had been living in the home. Nadine Salazar, Maritza’s eldest daughter, was at flight school at the time in Florida and defendant Nathan Dickson, age 18 at the time, could not be located. When this Defendant was located later the same evening, he gave a full voluntary written confession admitting to shooting and killing his father, brother, stepmother and stepsister. In his confession, the Defendant details the events of that morning. (The excerpts read in court are attached to this press release). 

The evidence collected in this case corroborates the Defendant’s confession. There is a horrific 911 call from Andy and gruesome crime scene photos that are consistent with what Nathan describes. A 12 gauge shotgun was found in the woods by the house. According to SLED the shotgun was found to be in working order and the three spent shotshells located at the crime scene were determined to have been fired by this shotgun. Andy Dickson’s blood was found on the handle of the shotgun. Lt. Scott with Anderson County Sheriff’s Office Forensics located a palm print that matched the Defendant’s right hand on the same shotgun and found the position of the palm print to be consistent with someone having swung the shotgun like a club. He further analyzed a fingerprint from a spent shotshell collected from the crime scene that was also likely to have been the Defendants. The autopsies also confirm what Nathan describes in his statement. Maritza was shot once in the right side of the head. Andy had multiple gunshot wounds and blunt force trauma in the head where Nathan described hitting him with the shotgun. Taylor had a shotgun wound to the neck and a shotgun wound to the head. Jiliam also had a shotgun wound to her left side. All bodies were also located where Nathan describes in his statement. 

In court today, Solicitor Adams stated the following:
Despite the hard work on the part of the Sheriff’s Office, we will never know why Nathan Dickson so tragically and violently took four of his family members’ lives. This has been one of the most difficult aspects for everyone associated with this case. There were no drugs or alcohol found in his system. There is no issue of insanity. We can only speculate as to motive. Nathan called his father his hero on his MySpace page and loved his little brother. He got along well with his step-mother and step-sisters. He graduated from Wren High in June of 2007. According to many field interviews, in high school, he had been a good kid, a decent student and well liked. After graduation, he had been living in an apartment with a friend who had recently kicked him out for stealing his credit card. His first love had also recently broken up with him because her mother did not like him and did not want him around. He tried to get into the Marines and scored so low on the military entrance exam that he was not allowed to complete the next part of the test. However, he lied to several people about already being in the marines and having done several tours. When his friend kicked him out of the apartment Nathan went to live with his father, stepmother, stepsister, and brother. This was approximately two weeks before the killings. Shortly before the murders, Nathan had stolen $600 in change from his father. There was some tension in the house over the Defendant moving back in with the rest of the family. Maritza had confided in coworkers that there was some trouble with “the boy” in the home and that she was planning to move out of the home. However, she never mentioned Nathan by name and the co-workers assumed she was talking about Taylor. Nothing in Nathan Dickson’s life at the time of these murders rises to the level of explaining why he woke up that fateful Saturday morning and went on a killing spree with the people he loved.

This has been extremely emotional and difficult for everyone who has been involved in this case and for everyone who has been touched by the Dickson and Hurtado families. This is a horrific tragedy that has affected an entire community. Andy and Maritza had been together for years. Nathan and Taylor essentially grew up with Maritza and her 2 daughters Jiliam and Nadine (the surviving sister). They were a close family and a family that was well respected in the community. Maritza taught ESL in Greenville at Cherrydale Elementary School. Jiliam was at Tri County Tech and wanted to go to vet school at UGA. Andy worked at Vulcan Construction and was very active in his children’s lives. Taylor was 14 years old and also went to Wren Middle School. He played baseball and Andy helped coach and was very involved in the school. 

We have met with and talked at length with the family – both sides. Both sides are strongly opposed to the Death Penalty. They all loved this Defendant. His extremely young age of 18 at the time of the murders and the fact that he had no prior criminal history also played a big role in reaching the decision to accept this plea and sentence today. Also, not being able to answer “why?” has been extremely disturbing and unsettling for not only the family, but for law enforcement as well. 

Nathan is just 20 years old right now. The family believes that this sentence, having to think about what he did for the rest of his life, in essence, is worse than a death sentence. They are probably right. 

In Court today the Judge also heard from an expert from the defense team that stated Nathan Dickson was suffering from dissociative amnesia which affected his ability to recall what happened the day of the murders. However, after waiving his client-attorney privilege, his attorneys stated that for up to two weeks after the murders, he clearly admitted to the crimes. 

I have struggled with the decision to accept four consecutive life sentences over death. But this tragedy has shocked us all, the family, law enforcement and the entire community. We will never know the extent of the number of lives affected. The Hurtado’s and the Dickson’s are incredible people and incredibly strong families. They will never be able to forget what happened that day. I just pray that they are able in some way to come to peace with what has happened and that they are able to move on with their lives. This guilty plea today can at least give them closure to this chapter in the healing process. They have a long way to go. This plea is what is best for this family and for this community.

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September 16, 2009
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(Anderson, SC). After deliberating for approximately 10 minutes, an Anderson County jury found 43-year-old James Anthony Tucker guilty of Armed Robbery and Assault and Battery with Intent to Kill. Due to the defendant’s extensive criminal history, the State was seeking a sentence of Life without the possibility of Parole. The Honorable Cordell Maddox sentenced Tucker to Life without Parole. 

On February 9, 2009, the defendant attacked his father, James Marshall Tucker with a claw hammer, hitting him in the head several times and robbing him of $400. According to the defendant’s statement, the motive for the attack and robbery was to obtain money to purchase crack cocaine. The incident took place at the father’s home on Keys Street in Anderson. The defendant had recently been released from prison after serving a 10-year sentence for armed robbery when this incident occurred.

“We are very pleased with the jury’s verdict. Due to the thorough investigation on the part of the Sheriff’s Office, this defendant will spend the rest of his life behind bars. We will continue to fight for maximum sentences allowed by law in order to keep our community safe.” Solicitor Chrissy Adams. 

September 4, 2009
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(Walhalla, SC). Forty-year old Larry Douglas Smith of Walhalla pled guilty today in Oconee General Sessions Court to multiple sexually related charges. The Honorable James Williams sentenced Smith to 40 years. Smith received the maximum sentence of 10 years on each of 3 counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 3rd Degree and 10 years on Criminal Sexual Conduct with a Minor, 2nd Degree, all of which are to be served consecutively.

In July of 2008, the Oconee County Sheriff’s office was contacted by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office concerning an ongoing investigation involving various individuals in the distribution of child pornography along the East Coast. One of the Pennsylvania subjects stated that he had engaged in numerous episodes of child pornography exchange with an individual identified by the screen name “LVSBYS2003”. That screen name was traced back to an Oconee County address where the defendant, Larry Douglas Smith resided. Following the execution of a search warrant for Mr. Smith’s residence, Smith was found to be in possession of 126,000 images and 606 videos depicting child pornography. During the course of the investigation, Mr. Smith fully admitted that all of these images belonged to him and that he had been engaging in the distribution of child pornography since 2002. Smith also revealed that he had engaged in a sexual relationship with a male child between the years of 1986 and 1991. 

“This investigation is a perfect example of different agencies and even different states working together to protect our children. Thanks to the hard work of all those involved, especially the tremendous job of the Oconee County Sheriff’s office, Larry Douglas Smith has preyed upon a child for the last time,” said Solicitor Chrissy Adams. “His forty year prison sentence means he is very likely to spend the rest of his natural life behind bars where he belongs.”

August 31, 2009
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(Walhalla, SC). Twenty-three year old Adarius Dennis was sentenced today in Oconee General Sessions Court to 23 years in prison for Armed Robbery. Dennis’ case was called for trial on June 22, 2009. After the jury was selected, Dennis failed to return to court. The trial continued in his absence and the jury returned a verdict of guilty for Armed Robbery. A bench warrant was issued for the defendant’s failure to appear and his sentence was sealed by the Court. Dennis was arrested on the bench warrant on August 4, 2009. The sealed sentence imposed by the Honorable Alex Macaulay was read in open court today. 

On June 22, 2008 Adarius Dennis was involved in a robbery that occurred in the Clinkscales Community of Seneca where approximately 90 pairs of shoes valued at $3000 were taken and the victim was beaten with a handgun. The incident took place in the presence of the victim’s four-year old daughter.

August 4, 2009
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(Anderson, SC). Hana Vondrasova, a citizen of the Czech Republic who had been residing in Duluth, Georgia, pled guilty Monday in Anderson General Sessions Court to Failure to Stop for a Blue Light resulting in Death. Judge Cordell Maddox sentenced Vondrasova to 15 years in prison. The defendant will be deported to her home country upon completion of her sentence.

On 10/18/2007, Hana Vondrosova was involved in a high-speed police chase along I85. At exit 27, she got off the interstate and ran the red light at the top of the hill striking a vehicle driven by Helen Jean McGill of Anderson. Helen McGill sustained injuries in the accident that were a proximate cause of her death on February 1, 2008. 

(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.