Found Deceased SC - Samantha Josephson, 21, Columbia, 29 March 2019 *Arrest*

[Trudie]

if he really was "passed out," he will not know
his father is crying in the video- I feel bad for them,
but they are all alive and SJ is gone, so... depressing
seeing so many people die at the hands of others.

I feel for his parents as well. When criminals commit their crimes, they leave behind many victims.

 

[Gardenista]

If his parents have not been allowed to talk to him, how do they know he was passed out?

 

[StarryStarryNight]

"passed out at a party" is not a really meritorious alibi
that said, I do not envy them right now

If he was passed out and someone else was driving his car seems like the next day when he got a look at his car he would have said at the very least, “Dude, what’s all this blood doing in my car? You better clean that up. I’m heading to Columbia tonight,”. Instead he just gets in and drives around...

 

[ValhallaWolves]

From linked interview:
The Rowlands are not allowed to visit their son in jail. The Rowland family said they are working to retain counsel.

I know that there’s a lawyer for every murderer out there but maybe they’re having a hard time finding counsel because it’s SO UNBELIEVABLE that it was someone else driving that car

 

[acutename]

If his parents have not been allowed to talk to him, how do they know he was passed out?

a really good Q

possibilities:
a. he told them before he was arrested
b. his friend(s) told them
c. they saw him passed out or in a bad state on Saturday

 

[PommyMommy]

His parents speak out....
Parents defend son charged in USC killing

Hmm. So, I guess they don't find it curious that the very next morning he was in almost the very same place (two blocks away) at almost the very same time (3 a.m.) and fled the vehicle on foot. Like any innocent person would do, I guess. MOO

 

[kaen]

The oddest part of a friend taking his car is actually that her body ended up a couple of miles from his home (over an hour away from where she was picked up). Why would his friend drive near his house after killing her?

 

[ilovechili]

a really good Q

possibilities:
a. he told them before he was arrested
b. his friend(s) told them
c. they saw him passed out or in a bad state on Saturday

Since it now sounds like it is his parents' car and it was stained with a fair amount of blood, etc., I am guessing he told them or called them to tell that someone else took the car and he was so sorry but it was not his fault.

This brings a thought to mind that has not occurred to me. Where did he clean himself up and when??? At his parents after dropping the body? Or did he go home where he possibly lives w/a gf?

This was a brutal crime that allegedly left quite a bit of blood in the car and trunk. I doubt he had a bag of clothes with planned because although it is unsure, it seems that this entire thing may not have been exactly planned... And to shower?

I am not and have not yet been convinced no one else helped or knew whether during or after...

 

[Gardenista]

If he talked to his parents, I hope the prosecution gets the raw video of their interview so they can lock him into a story.

 

[ilovechili]

The oddest part of a friend taking his car is actually that her body ended up a couple of miles from his home (over an hour away from where she was picked up). Why would his friend drive near his house after killing her?

My guess is to explain that it will be the friend is trying to frame him... "His" car, near where he had lived, etc... I wonder if it will be a real person thrown under the bus or someone he makes up that no one can locate...

 

[yrmfp]

I've seen many comments ( not all here) that he likely wasnt expecting her to get in his car....
However,from the video,he pulled up and she immediately got in. He wasnt even in park. He had to have unlocked the door for her, correct? My doors ( on any car that I recall) dont automatically unlock if my ignition is still on. He obviously wasnt driving with them unlocked..... that theory doesn't fit.

I also still feel like theres more to the passenger with him when he was caught. Just my opinion

 

[Smccat]

Looks like this reporter has verified the Uber info

Steve Keeley‏Verified account @KeeleyFox29

Samantha Josephson,21,was to start Drexel Law school after upcoming graduation from Univ of South Carolina. Uber says she called for ride, but driver left when she didn’t show. Friends saw her get into this black Chevy Impala they think she mistook for Uber @FOX29philly

What gets me is she could have been Waiting for a lift from anyone not necessarily Uber. To think an opportunist got that lucky with the similar vehicle and right place /right time is IM very Humble opinion no coincidence

 

[NanZDrew]

My guess is to explain that it will be the friend is trying to frame him... "His" car, near where he had lived, etc... I wonder if it will be a real person thrown under the bus or someone he makes up that no one can locate...

And on top of this, it says the dump site was hard to get to, and the person would have to know where they were going.

 

[NanZDrew]

What gets me is she could have been Waiting for a lift from anyone not necessarily Uber. To think an opportunist got that lucky with the similar vehicle and right place /right time is IM very Humble opinion no coincidence

An Impala is a perfect car to be a Uber car. It is not tiny and it has 4 doors. Lots of companies buy it for company cars. Possible that she had not paid attention to the make and model or color. My opinion is that he yelled out the window, "Are you waiting for a ride?" or something similar and she just trusted that this was her ride. I felt so sad watching that car drive away knowing these were the last few moments that she would spend before terror descended.

 

[QPRfan]

The description of the wounds is interesting. Stab wounds in the legs and feet, suggesting she was prone and kicking at him, perhaps from a sitting or recumbent position in the back seat while he stabs from the drivers seat.


Theory: SJ gets into the car and NR either realizes his trap has succeeded or is surprised and decides to use the opportunity he’s been afforded to commit a crime (robbery, rape). If the driver is alone (at this point I favor this scenario, since I don’t believe she gets in the car if there are two) he begins driving away like he’s just doing a standard ride share. Within a few minutes, SJ receives a text from the real Uber driver, at which point she realizes the mortal danger she is now in. She starts trying to open the doors, but is unable to due to the child locks. Maybe she starts to panic and she starts kicking at the doors and windows. Nate now realizes this isn’t going how he has planned. His car is being damaged and she’s screaming at him. He grabs his knife and initially threatens her, but she keeps kicking and screaming. He cuts her, probably intentionally but possibly accidentally. Now she’s really in sheer terror, and he’s full on panicked. It accelerates quickly with her being cut all over during the struggle, including her feet and legs. One or more of the wounds are fatal and the blood loss is extensive, leading to her death in the back seat. He finds a relatively secluded place and temporarily moves her body into the trunk. Panicked, he goes to a familiar place, an hour away, with the intent of placing her body someplace where no one will find it. He purchases the bleach and other cleaning agents thinking he can manage to get out of this somehow by removing all physical trace of her, but for whatever reason he doesn’t have to time to do a thorough job of it. He returns to 5 Points the next night to pick up his gf and is pulled over. JMHO

 

[MsBetsy]

The oddest part of a friend taking his car is actually that her body ended up a couple of miles from his home (over an hour away from where she was picked up). Why would his friend drive near his house after killing her?

Must have been trying to frame him, is what I imagine their answer would be.

 

[PommyMommy]

Parents: "If you did it, you gonnna pay the consequences"
"Did he do this?", that's what Henry and Loretta Rowland are asking about their son, Nathaniel Rowland, who is charged in the murder of University of South Carolina student Samantha Josephson.

The Rowlands spoke exclusively to WACH FOX 57's reporter Bryant Monteilh about their son. Rowland says, "I know it's my child, but if you're wrong, you're wrong." Nathaniel's father said his son has to pay the consequences if proven guilty. "If he did it, I'll be the first one to put him behind bars, lock him up, and throw away the key", the father added. But Nathaniel's parents also insist that he is innocent.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

Alex Butler on Twitter
#njmornings a candlelight vigil for #SamanthaJosephson will be at the West Town Center Lake Gazebo at 7 pm. in #Robbinsville. She was tragically murdered Friday after leaving a bar near the U of S Carolina & entered the wrong vehicle thinking it was Uber. LIVE w the details at 8.

[URL="https://twitter.com/WJXTLynnsey/status/1112904147827867649"]Lynnsey Gardner on Twitter[/URL]
#whatsmyname Her name was Samantha Josephson. Her family wants us to remember her name. So the next time you get into your uber or lyft ask “What’s my name?” And remember hers. #SamanthaJosephson

 

[Hatfield]

I have only heard of this case.
So often we take risks, unaware of the consequences.
In your case, as soon as you realized your mistake, you managed to get away.
This could have been you.
However, you may have remained in this car, if you thought you were safe, only to find...........

How often, we trust whom we have just met: have drinks, ride home, walking and jogging in deserted areas, share personal details etc.
It takes, a case like this, to make us aware, to take more care, in everyday life, whatever we may be doing.
When I look back, about all the times, I have trusted someone, to find later, 'what a mistake', I realize 'how lucky I have been'.
My friends now, state, I am over cautious, and it is only through bad experiences, and being on Websleuths that I am more careful.
MOO.

Re BBM
This is a good thing being cautious and more aware than we used to be. Its much better to be over prepared than under prepared because as we see in these cases, we are talking life and death.

 

[KatzEye]

Parents: "If you did it, you gonnna pay the consequences"
"Did he do this?", that's what Henry and Loretta Rowland are asking about their son, Nathaniel Rowland, who is charged in the murder of University of South Carolina student Samantha Josephson.

The Rowlands spoke exclusively to WACH FOX 57's reporter Bryant Monteilh about their son. Rowland says, "I know it's my child, but if you're wrong, you're wrong." Nathaniel's father said his son has to pay the consequences if proven guilty. "If he did it, I'll be the first one to put him behind bars, lock him up, and throw away the key", the father added. But Nathaniel's parents also insist that he is innocent.

[...]

Did I hear his Dad say he had played basketball while attending USC ?

ETA - N/M - Mom corrected it to say SC State Univ.