OUTCOME: Eri Otoniel Roblero Perez, 31, was sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty on Monday to two counts of Felony DUI with death, as well as Open Container and Driving Without a License.
On Sunday, April 12, 2026, Mikhail’lee Smith, 8, and Dereon Robinson, 12, were riding their bicycles on the sidewalk along Asheville Highway with family members traveling behind them.
Perez was driv...ing east on Asheville Highway in a 2016 Honda Accord when he ran off the right side of the road, struck both boys, a fence, and a tree.
Perez’s blood alcohol level was .264. Solicitor Barry Barnette said it was determined Roblero Perez drank 15 beers the night before the crash, and eight more the morning of.
“This is a parent’s worst nightmare – when you see children die like this because of someone’s lawlessness and total disregard for those around him," Barnette said.
Weblinks: https://www.wyff4.com/article/kids-killed-riding-bikes-dui-crash-spartanburg-county/74109373
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/driver-heading-to-laundromat-admits-to-hitting-2-young-boys-riding-bikes-directly-in-front-of-their-parents/ar-AA2eamrM?ocid=BingNewsVerp
Violent crime
State v. Daniel Travis Horton
Mar 25, 2026
OUTCOME: Trial- Guilty of Murder- Life Sentence- sentence by Judge Derham Cole, Jr.
The October 13, 2022, crime occurred at the home of 88-year-old Betty Horton. Mrs. Horton was a widow. She lived next to the family’s truck repair business on Battleground Road in Cowpens. About a yea...r prior, Mrs. Horton allowed her grandson, Daniel Horton, to move into her home, other family members lived nearby.
On the morning of October 13, Daniel Travis Horton called 911 claiming his aunt had abducted his grandmother, Mrs. Horton. An officer with the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office arrived at Mrs. Horton’s home shortly after 7 o’clock to check on her whereabouts. The officer was let into Mrs. Horton’s home by Daniel Travis Horton. The officer spoke with Mrs. Horton in her bedroom where she explained she had overslept. Once the officer confirmed Mrs. Horton was at home and in
good condition, he departed the residence. It was customary for an employee at the family’s truck repair business to pick up breakfast for employees, Mrs. Horton, and Daniel Horton. At approximately 10 a.m. that morning, Daniel Travis Horton came into the business. Seeing the bag that contained biscuits for himself and Mrs. Horton, Daniel Travis Horton took his breakfast and walked out of the business. Shortly thereafter an employee noticed the business’ truck was missing because Daniel Travis Horton had taken it without permission. Not wanting Mrs. Horton to miss her breakfast while they tried to get the truck back, an employee walked over to her home to drop off a biscuit. The employee knocked and rang the doorbell but received no reply at Mrs. Horton’s home. The employee then joined others, including Mrs. Horton’s son, in the effort to get the business’ truck back. They found Daniel Travis Horton in the truck about two miles away at his grandfather’s grave; he drove off and after following him for a while they eventually lost sight of him. Mrs. Horton’s son and others then returned to the business and went next door to Mrs. Horton’s home. Mrs. Horton’s son could see his mother lying on the living room floor but could not get into her home because all the doors were locked. With the help of an employee, Mrs. Horton’s son gained entry to her home using a prybar. He found Mrs. Horton bloody on the living room floor. Mrs. Horton had been savagely beaten about the head and face; she had passed away due to her severe injuries.
weblink: https://www.wspa.com/news/crime/cowpens-man-gets-life-in-prison-for-killing-his-grandmother/
Violent crime
State v. James Douglas Drayton
Feb 27, 2026
OUTCOME: Pled Guilty to Five (5) counts of Murder with Five (5) consecutive Life sentences and pled guilty to five (5) counts of PWDVC
James Douglas Drayton, 28, pleaded guilty on February 27, 2026 in Spartanburg to five (5) counts of Murder and five (5) counts of Possession of a Weapon During a Violent Crime. Circuit Court Judge Per...ry H. Gravely presided over the hearing and accepted the guilty pleas. The State had filed for Drayton to be subject to the death penalty if convicted. In accordance with the negotiated guilty plea Judge Gravely ordered that Drayton serve five (5) consecutive Life sentences. The sentences for five (5) counts of Possession of a Weapon During a Violent Crime are absorbed
into the Life sentences pursuant to statute. As part of the negotiated guilty plea, Drayton waived all appellate issues. Drayton cannot appeal, file post-conviction relief actions, or seek state or federal writs as many men convicted and facing
the death penalty do repeatedly for years after their trials. Under current South Carolina law Drayton is not eligible for parole, however, in the event the law changes Drayton cannot be paroled. Drayton will serve the remainder of his life in a South Carolina prison. The negotiated plea is supported by the victims’ family members and the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office. Family members of the victims attended the hearing in person and online.
The crimes occurred on October 9, 2022, in a house on Bobo Drive in Inman. James Douglas Drayton shot James Derrick Baldwin, Roman Christean Megeal Rocha, Adam Daniel Morley, Mark Allan Hewitt, and Thomas Wayne Ellis Anderson. Several of the victims were asleep or unaware when they were shot at close range by Drayton. After shooting the five men, Drayton stole Mr. Morley’s car and drove to Georgia where Drayton then committed an armed robbery. Law enforcement in Burke County, Georgia apprehended Drayton as he attempted to flee from the robbery in Mr. Morley’s car. Through a long extradition process and with assistance from
the governor’s offices in Georgia and South Carolina, Drayton was brought back to Spartanburg on January 11, 2024, to face responsibility for his 2022 crimes.
weblink: https://www.foxcarolina.com/2026/02/27/man-accused-one-deadliest-murder-cases-spartanburg-co-gets-5-consecutive-life-sentences/
Violent crime
State v. Juan Tobon
Dec 10, 2025
OUTCOME: Trial- Guilty of Murder- 50 years and PWDVC- 5 years sentenced by Judge Donald Hocker
On February 2, 2024, Caroline Hall attended her grandmother’s funeral and thereafter visited with family. Upon returning to her home in Spartanburg that night, Caroline sent a text to her family at 9:...35 p.m. Caroline was very close with her family and texted them daily. The text sent the night of February 2nd was the last time Caroline’s family would hear from her.
On February 3rd when Caroline did not respond to text messages and phone calls from her family, the family reached out to Caroline’s best friend who lived nearby. Caroline and her best friend both had keys to each other’s homes. Caroline and her boyfriend, Juan C. Tobon, had been living together in Caroline’s home for about a year, but the two had broken up a few days prior and her parents knew Tobon was moving out of the residence.
When Caroline’s best friend went to the home she noted that Caroline’s car was not there. She called out for Caroline but did not receive a response. She found Caroline’s purse and dog, Bruce, at the home. Caroline’s best friend was concerned because Caroline went everywhere with Bruce – even taking him to her family’s house following her grandmother’s funeral the day prior. Caroline’s parents came over to Caroline’s home, too. They found a note on the kitchen counter that started, “Here is for you f****** pigs oink oink.” The note was not written in Caroline’s handwriting. Caroline’s parents called 911. When members of the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the home, they located Caroline’s body behind the closed door of the closet in the main bedroom. Caroline had been shot in the front of the head with the gun directly against her head. A .40 caliber shell casing was found in the closet.
Through the work of the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI, phone records for Caroline and Tobon were obtained and examined. The phone records show Tobon was at Caroline’s home the night of February 2nd when Caroline sent the 9:35 p.m. text message to her family. Tobon’s phone records show that he remained at Caroline’s home until 10:52 that night. Phone records also showed that Tobon reached out to his mother on the morning of February 3rd. Although Tobon had only visited with his mother once in the past year, he asked his mother to pick him up and drive him to New York City to meet his cousin.
During law enforcement’s investigation, Caroline’s car was found at a car wash in Simpsonville, South Carolina. Surveillance videos show Tobon driving Caroline’s car to the car wash and leaving it in the parking lot around 1:30 on the morning of February 3rd.
On February 8th officers with the U.S. Marshals Service, New York Police Department, and New York State Police located Tobon living with his cousin in New York City. In the bedroom where Tobon was staying, officers located two pistols. Through ballistics testing one of the pistols was later determined to be the gun Tobon used to shoot Caroline.
At the trial over three days, the jury heard testimony about February 2nd and 3rd from Caroline’s best friend and Caroline’s father who also relayed the wonderful personality of Caroline and how she always saw the best in people. The jury heard from officers with the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office, FBI, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), U.S. Marshals Service, and the New York State Police. The jury further heard from Tobon who admitted he was breaking up with Caroline and was also separated from his wife at the time; the story he told the jury was not consistent with the evidence in the case. The jury deliberated for approximately two hours before returning guilty verdicts for Murder and Possession of a Weapon During Commission of a Violent Crime.
Weblink:
https://www.wspa.com/news/crime/jury-finds-man-of-killing-ex-girlfriend-in-spartanburg-co/
Violent crime
State v. Ian Tatro
Oct 20, 2025
OUTCOME: Plead guilty to 20 counts of Unlawful Child Neglect and 1 count of Obstruction of Justice in front of Judge Keith Kelly and received a 50 year jail sentence
Tatro was initially arrested after investigators were called to a home on Waspnest Road near Wellford on September 2, 2022.
Officials with the South Carolina Department of Social Services said the i...nvestigation began after a child abuse allegation was received from an anonymous source.
The DSS caseworker told deputies that she had been to the home previously to investigate but that the 8-year-old victim had been hidden from her each time.
In the home, deputies found four adults and four children of various ages. They said the oldest child had a noticeable limp and temporary tattoos covering bruises on both legs.
The injured victim was taken to the hospital due to bruising and concerns about blood loss, the sheriff’s office said.
According to the solicitor’s office, the child was given animal feces as a Christmas present, forced to stand in a garbage can for hours while trash was thrown at her, locked in a closet, forced to wear a diaper, could not use a bathroom, hit with a cutting board, yelled at, force-fed laxatives and beaten by Tatro,
Officials also said that Tatro also put the temporary tattoos on his child’s legs to disguise her bruises. After multiple interviews were done with the victim, the sheriff’s office said a forensic doctor stated the victim met criteria for a medical diagnosis of child torture. The victim's stepmother, Tenika Draper, was sentenced last month to 35 years in prison after she pleaded guilty to the same spate of charges as Tatro.
Weblink; https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/upstate-man-sentenced-to-decades-in-prison-for-abusing-an-8-year-old-girl/ar-AA1OUMNO?ocid=BingNewsVerp
Violent crime
State v. Jimmy Lee Salters
Sep 25, 2025
OUTCOME: Guilty on all counts (Murder, Armed Robbery, PWDVC x 2, and Arson 3rd) given a 35 years sentence by Judge Derham Cole, Jr.
On Aug. 6, 2023, the mother of Leroy Palmer, Jr. called the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office to report her son as missing after he didn't show up to a family function, which his mother remarked was ...very unlike him. As members of the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office were investigating Palmer’s disappearance, a call came in regarding a burned vehicle in the woods off Sharon Road near Woodruff.
Officers responded to find Palmer’s Impala incinerated on a dirt road with burnt remains inside. On the night of Aug. 4, 2023, phone records showed multiple phone calls between Palmer and Jimmy Salters. Officers were also able to track the movement of Palmer’s cell phone throughout the county. After Palmer received a call from Salters that night, he drove to a manufacturing facility on North Blackstock Road. Surveillance cameras at the manufacturing facility show Palmer’s Impala pull into the parking lot where Salters and his co-defendant are waiting in Salters’ vehicle. Prosecutors said at a point during their meeting, Palmer was shot multiple times.
The co-defendant then drives Palmer's car to a gas station near the intersection of Interstate 85 and Highway 101 with Salters following behind. Surveillance video shows Salters pump gasoline into a gas can, get back into his vehicle, and both cars drive down Highway 101. Near where the Impala was found, a trail camera was also found. Video on the trail camera shows the Impala go through a metal gate on the dirt road shortly after midnight. The video also shows Salters walk with the gas can toward the Impala. Weblink: https://www.foxcarolina.com/2025/09/26/killer-convicted-burning-missing-mans-remains-car/
According to officials, Salters and the co-defendant then drive away in his vehicle. Salters stops at a gas station near East Henry Street in Spartanburg to fill a cup with gasoline. After changing his clothes, Salters used the cup of gasoline to burn his clothing and Palmer’s wallet in a separate location.
Violent crime
State v. Nicholas Skylar Lucas
Sep 04, 2025
OUTCOME: Guilty of Involuntary Manslaughter- 5 years and Guilty of Discharging a Weapon into a Dwelling- 10 years consecutive (total 15 years) by Judge J. Mark Hayes.
Deputies said they responded to Songbird Lane around 6:30 p.m. in August 2022 and found 42-year-old Kesha Luwan Lucille Tate dead at the scene a gunshot wound. the prosecution said Lucas and another p...erson were outside, recklessly firing guns, when a bullet from Lucas’s gun went through Tate’s window and killed her. She was cooking at the time for her children, who called 911.
Lucas’s defense said he did not intentionally shoot Tate. He was legally target shooting in his backyard when the ‘tragic accident’ occurred.
On Sept. 4, the jury found Lucas guilty of involuntary manslaughter and discharging a firearm into a dwelling. The judge sentenced Lucas to 10 years for discharging the firearm and five years for involuntary manslaughter, totaling 15 years in prison. Weblink: https://www.foxcarolina.com/2025/09/10/man-sentenced-killing-neighbor-2022-upstate-shooting/
Violent crime
State v. Jarvis Tariq Jeffery
Jul 28, 2025
OUTCOME: Pled guilty to Attempted Murder x 2; PWDVC; Shooting Child in Utero; Poss of Weapon of someone convicted of DV2- 15 years in jail total
Jarvis Jeffery shot his girlfriend in the stomach when she was 8 months pregnant on January 11, 2024 when arguing with her. She was in her car and the defendant confronted her and shot her in the stom...ach. During the drive to the hospital, Jeffery told 911 that it occurred at a different location and did not give his true name. He was charged with Attempted Murder x 2; PWDVC; DVHAN; Shooting a Child in Utero; and Poss of Weapon by a person convicted of DV 2. He plead guilty on 7/28/25 and received a 15 year sentence in jail from Judge J. Mark Hayes
Violent crime
State v. Dalton Miller
May 30, 2025
OUTCOME: Pled guilty to Felony Child Abuse with GBI (20 years) and Unlawful Neglect of a Child (10 years consecutive)- 30 year sentence
SCSO deputies said they were called to Prisma Heath System Pediatrics in Greenville for a child that had severe mouth and eye infections, damaged neck ligaments, multiple spinal compression fractures a...nd contusions on the torso, back, and head areas.
The child had to have part of a toe amputated. He also tested positive for fentanyl, cocaine and THC. Dalton Miller was the boyfriend of Hannah Cason that caused the injuries to the 11 month old child and placed a picture of the child on line after injuring him. Website: foxcarolina.com/2025/05/30/1-3-charged-after-11-month-old-tested-positive-drugs-appears-court/
Violent crime
State v. Matthew Konnecker Long
Dec 18, 2024
OUTCOME: Long pleaded guilty to Murder and PWDVC. Long was sentenced to forty-two (42) years in prison for Murder and five (5) years in prison for Possession of a Weapon During Commission of a Violent Crime. The sentences shall be served concurrently.
On April 3, 2023, Mathew Konnecker Long called his estranged wife, Donna Victoria Grace Long, and asked her to come to their home on Vista Drive in Moore. Once she arrived at the home, Mathew Long argu...ed with Donna. Following the argument, Mathew Long retrieved afirearm from within the home and shot Donna multiple
times at multiple intervals. Mathew Long’s parents, Carolyn Veronica Long and Donald Charles Long, were also present at the home. During the shooting, Mathew Long’s father, Donald Long, called 911.
When first responders arrived at the home they saw Donald Long leaving the property with a bag prior to law enforcement’s arrival. Carolyn Long had given the firearm used by her son to her husband, Donald Long, to dispose of away from the home. First respondersentered the home and immediately began giving aid to Donna
Long who was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Donna Long was thereafter transported to Spartanburg Regional Medical Center where she was pronounced deceased. Members of the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office spoke with Mathew Long and Carolyn Long at the scene. Multiple conflictingexplanations were given by
Mathew and Carolyn Long; Carolyn Long also claimed an unknown individual entered the home and shot Donna. In the 911 call, law enforcement discovered a contemporaneous recording of the event in which Mathew Long can be heard
shouting as Donna pleaded for him to stop. Long’s parents can also be heard on the 911 recording. Ultimately, Mathew Long admitted shooting his estranged wife multiple times. In their investigation, members of the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office used traffic cameras and data from Donald Long’s phone to track him to Saluda, North Carolina shortly after the shooting. Working with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and the Saluda Fire Department, the firearm involved was able to be recovered from North Carolina. Weblink: https://www.wspa.com/news/local-news/man-gets-42-years-for-killing-wife-in-spartanburg-co/
