Man was shot 12 times and left wrapped in a tarp, SC cops say. Now an arrest has been made
A Midlands man was charged with murder months after a body wrapped in a tarp was found in the woods by hunters, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said Tuesday.
When he was arrested Monday, 22-year-old Sumter resident Daejon Rashad Jackson was charged with possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime and trafficking fentanyl, in addition to murder, SLED said in a news release.
The charges are connected to the death of 34-year-old Sumter resident Frederick Ricardo Nelson Jr., according to arrest warrants.
On Nov. 14, 2023, Jackson shot Nelson 12 times with a Taurus G2C handgun, arrest warrants said.
There was no word on a motive for the shooting, or the location where Nelson was fatally shot.
After killing Nelson, Jackson attempted “to conceal the murder by moving Nelson’s body to a wooded area in Rembert, S.C.,” the arrest warrants said.
Nelson’s body was discovered nearly two weeks later by a group of six hunters who noticed a strong smell coming from the tarp that was about 30-40 feet off Cimmaron Road, according to Sumter County Coroner Robbie Baker.
On Nov. 26, 2023, Nelson’s body was found wrapped in bed sheets, a comforter, and a red tarp, according to arrest warrants.
After making the grisly discovery, the hunters immediately called 911, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office previously said.
Jackson was charged following an investigation where SLED agents conducted interviews, recovered evidence, examined telephone records and autopsy results in addition to the findings from its forensic lab, according to the arrest warrants.
The drug charge stems from a search of Jackson’s home during “an unrelated criminal investigation,” an arrest warrant said. In Jackson’s bedroom, investigators found a box “containing a plastic bag with powder substance,” which was determined to be 5.2 grams of fentanyl following analysis, according to the arrest warrant.
Jackson was booked at the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center, SLED said. Information about his bond status was not available.
The case will be prosecuted by the 3rd Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
