Hartsville man sentenced to 25 years in 2022 shooting death of close friend
DARLINGTON COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) – A Hartsville man pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime in the 2022 shooting death of his longtime close friend, the Fourth Circuit Solicitor’s Office said Friday.
Judge Kirk Griffin sentenced Jeremiah Farmer to 25 years for voluntary manslaughter and five years concurrent for possessing a firearm, the solicitor’s office said.
Farmer pled guilty without any sentencing negotiation or recommendation, and he faced up to 35 years total for the crimes. The case was prosecuted by Assistant Solicitor Adam Foard, the solicitor’s office said.
Farmer shot and killed his longtime close friend, Eddie McCoy, after an argument on October 1, 2022, while both were attending a friends and family gathering on Woodside Ln in Hartsville.
Statements by witnesses at the gathering indicated alcohol consumption was a contributing factor that escalated the disagreement between Farmer and McCoy.
After the shooting, Farmer left the scene while friends and family of McCoy took him to Carolina Pines Hospital where he died of two gunshot wounds to the chest, the solicitor’s office said.
During the sentencing, McCoy’s wife, daughter, and mother addressed the court. All of them expressed forgiveness to Farmer for his actions, but demanded he be held accountable for his crime, the solicitor’s office said.
“The victim’s family has been left devastated by this senseless killing and it is only further compounded by the fact that the killer and victim were friends,” said Assistant Solicitor Foard. “Mr. McCoy’s children now have to live with the fact that a man they considered to be like an uncle to them took their father out of their lives. These family members have demonstrated a level of grace and forgiveness that is rarely seen in cases like this, and I thank them for their heartfelt presentation to the court.”
McCoy must serve 85% of the total sentence before he is parole eligible. He will serve his sentence in a facility determined by the South Carolina Department of Corrections, the solicitor’s office said.
* * *
Taylor Ford is a digital journalist for News13. She joined the News13 team in January 2023. Taylor is a Florence native and covers the Pee Dee out of News13’s Florence Bureau. Read more of Taylor’s work here.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW.
