Man who killed Marion County deputy in 1987 denied parole, sheriff says
MARION COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — The man serving a life sentence for using a shotgun to kill a Marion County sheriff’s deputy in 1987 was denied parole Thursday morning, according to Sheriff Brian Wallace.
Bobby Cross shot and Deputy Donald Ray Hayes, 41, on May 2, 1987, while he and two other deputies were serving a warrant at the home of a woman in the Buck’s Bay area who had complained about being beaten by Cross, according to an “End of Watch” notice on the South Carolina Law Enforcement Hall of Fame’s Facebook page.
Hayes, who was shot in the face, died the next day. Cross was convicted of murder three months later and sentenced to life in prison and required to serve 30 years before being eligible for parole,
Wallace said in his Facebook post that he spoke to the South Carolina Board of Parole and Pardons Thursday morning.
“As Sheriff of Marion County, and as a young boy who grew up wanting to be a deputy just like Donald Ray Hayes, I humbly ask that parole be denied,” Wallace said in the post. “Parole was indeed denied today. Our love and prayers continue to surround this family.”
Hayes joined the Mullins Police Department in August 1971 and graduated from the state Criminal Justice Academy in June 1973. He went to work for the sheriff’s office in 1980.
Hayes was inducted into the state Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 1988.
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Dennis Bright is a Digital Producer at News13. He joined the team in May 2021. Dennis is a West Virginia native and a graduate of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Follow Dennis on, Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here.
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