GUILTY SC - Samantha Josephson, 21, Columbia, thought she was getting into Uber, 29 Mar 2019 *Arrest* #2

[acutename]

There

There hasn't been any updates. I Google this case daily. This tragedy has really affected me, as I have a daughter who attends college. It's my worst nightmare. I can't even imagine.

while this has clearly freaked out numerous people, in the depths of your worry, tell yourself that most car service folk and other folk too, are not murders. reading websleuths, like being LE, gives you a worst case perspective.

 

[JaneEyre]

I’m going to need DNA on this one. I have my doubts, although the location of the body swings things back his way.

 

[Cfdm10199]

APR 5, 2019
Who killed Samantha Josephson? Suspect’s family, friends say cops have the wrong man
The family and friends of a 24-year-old Clarendon County man say he couldn’t have been responsible for kidnapping and killing Samantha Josephson.

Nathaniel David Rowland was “passed out” at a house party the night Josephson was abducted in Five Points, said Trey Elmore, a cousin who lives in Texas. Someone else had taken his car.

“I don’t believe it was him in the car,” Elmore told The State. “They only assumed that because he ran (when he was pulled over the next day).”

[...]

“He checked his pockets when he woke up … and he didn’t have his keys,” Henry Rowland told WACH Fox. “So he walked outside to try and find the vehicle. He found the vehicle, opened the door, saw his keys and saw all the blood in the vehicle.”

Rowland is being represented by Fielding Pringle, chief public defender for Richland and Kershaw counties. She declined to comment.

In the hours leading up to Josephson’s abduction, Rowland posted to Facebook about a dozen times. His final post that night — a comment about his basketball skills — came at 12:23 a.m., about 90 minutes before Josephson climbed into the Impala.

The very next post came at 5 p.m. the following day — an hour after two young hunters found Josephson’s body on a dirt road in Clarendon County. The post read, “I’ll love to do it (with you) but (I’ll be damned) if I can’t do it without (you).”

[...]

Prior to last week, the most serious crime Rowland had ever been accused of was selling a stolen Playstation 4 to a Columbia-area pawn shop in October, according to court records. That case is still pending in court. He was also fined for transporting alcohol in a motor vehicle in Sumter County, and received a handful of speeding and seat belt tickets in Richland, Lexington, Clarendon, Orangeburg and Sumter counties. But Rowland has no record of violent crime, and that leaves friends and family wondering how this could happen.

Rowland was enrolled at S.C. State from 2014 to 2017, according to Sonja Bennett-Bellamy, vice president for institutional advancement and external affairs. The school has had no association with Rowland since 2017, and he did not graduate, Bennett-Bellamy said.

[...]

Actually, that post has some bad info. Rowland's last Facebook post was at 1:23 am, not 12:23 .

Which means, he was awake and posting on his FB page only 46 minutes before she entered his car.

So, within at least 46 minutes, a person who sounded perfectly coherent on FB, but was so drunk they passed out, had their keys picked from their pants pocket by a stranger, without waking up, and had their car stolen.

I would like to know how far away the party was where he passed out.

If this guy is innocent, I have never seen anybody dumber with such bad luck in my life.

 

[Heather30024]

My teeny tiny doubt on who the murderer is comes from not seeing who was in the driver's seat because someone purposely turned those lights off. Also, I thought I read that the car is in his parents' name. Has that Ben verified? If it is in fact the parents'vehicle, then who else had access to it? I am sure LE is on top of all of that though.

(Please correct me if I'm wrong with anything below.)

Hi Maa23. It's my understanding that the idea that the car is in his parents' name came from an interview from his parents where they said something like "our car", although there may be more facts out there that I missed.

I'm not sure if you've seen upthread, but there was a child seat in the back seat of the car when he was arrested. From what I've understood from previous posts, this is for a young niece and that Nate was an "involved uncle". I've seen where the police said the child locks were engaged to keep Sami from getting out, but I'd really love to know what the evidence of that is, because it wouldn't seem a stretch to me that the child locks were already on due to a child being in the car often enough to keep a child seat in it, even with a 24-year-old guy driving it around (not exactly "sexy"), and that perhaps the dome light had been regularly off so as not to wake the child. I can definitely see where these things would appear nefarious, and maybe they were, but I think we need some more facts because it's possible that that's just how that car typically was.

 

[ilovechili]

he played basketball and then worked for Fed Ex- if he worked in the ware house, all he did was lift things (unless he had a desk job or used a fork life all day). I think he could lift 1.5x his own weight easy.

I totally agree.

 

[Heather30024]

Actually, that post has some bad info. Rowland's last Facebook post was at 1:23 am, not 12:23 .

Which means, he was awake and posting on his FB page only 46 minutes before she entered his car.

So, within at least 46 minutes, a person who sounded perfectly coherent on FB, but was so drunk they passed out, had their keys picked from their pants pocket by a stranger, without waking up, and had their car stolen.

I would like to know how far away the party was where he passed out.

If this guy is innocent, I have never seen anybody dumber with such bad luck in my life.

Actually it was at 12:23, where he said he never missed a "significant other" shot at basketball.

 

[acutename]

You bring up an excellent point about the DNA. She would most likely have his DNA on her or other trace evidence like hairs, regardless of who actually picked her up and killed her. They haven't (shudders) given any indication of whether she was sexually assaulted though. If there is DNA evidence in that regard, after he said he never came in contact with her because he was passed out, then yeah, that's pretty damning. Even DNA from fingernail scrapings would kill his story.

JMO but I'm not sure I could classify his story as "wholly unbelievable BS" because it's factually possible and somewhat realistic that a 24-year-old guy in a college town could become incapacitated enough that someone else could lift their keys off of them to go for a joy ride. I can totally see that happening.

If it's possible to believe that the owner of the car pretended to be an Uber driver and ultimately kill someone, then it's possible that the joy rider could have pretended to be an Uber driver and ultimately kill someone.

Maybe the original intent was just to go for a joy ride but one dumb drunk decision led to another and things got out of hand and ended unexpectedly tragically.

In that scenario, with a body on your hands and a blood-filled stolen car in a state with the death penalty, self-preservation might kick in, so you drop the body off near the residence listed on the vehicle registration and return the vehicle to where you found it so it looks like the passed out guy who you lifted the keys from did it and not you.

It wouldn't be ethical, but if they were smart and unethical, that's what they'd do. And given that they were unethical to take the car to begin with, it's possible, in an effort to save their own skin.

I do not think if a person other than NR took the car and did this, that person got an address from the registration. I think the person also lived in that area and knew the area. It is not easily believable that some one: (a) takes his car (b) uses it in a kidnapping (c) turns that into a murder (d) drives the body to a remote place near his home and (e) returns the car. That is a lot of moving parts for one "prank."

 

[SteveP]

I’m going to need DNA on this one. I have my doubts, although the location of the body swings things back his way.

I feel certain that, with her being found so quickly, the killer's DNA was surely gotten off of Sami's body and/or clothing, and if that DNA belongs to NW, his story is shot down, and it will put him away for life, unless he has a jury incapable of understanding science. JMO

 

[JaneEyre]

Actually, that post has some bad info. Rowland's last Facebook post was at 1:23 am, not 12:23 .

Which means, he was awake and posting on his FB page only 46 minutes before she entered his car.

So, within at least 46 minutes, a person who sounded perfectly coherent on FB, but was so drunk they passed out, had their keys picked from their pants pocket by a stranger, without waking up, and had their car stolen.

I would like to know how far away the party was where he passed out.

If this guy is innocent, I have never seen anybody dumber with such bad luck in my life.

Facebook time stamps will be different for each of us depending on what time zone we’re in. Are you in eastern time Zone?

 

[Miya]

If she's 5'7", 145lbs, and Nate is a scrawny 5'8", 155lbs... how did he get her into the trunk, or from the trunk to the spot where her body was found? I guess it's possible, but I would think that he'd be maxing out trying to carry her even with her voluntarily holding on around his neck.

I have seen the same thoughts here several times ... and I don't really know how to reply to this without saying too much (too much for me, since this is public and it's the internet, and even with being anonymous ...). It's very personal, but from my very own experience with a man about 4 inches shorter than me and probably around the same weight as me (possibly even a bit less considering his height), they can pick you up, the can carry you, they can pick you up and throw you across the room (and more, I won't give more details) and you have no way and don't have the physical strength (compared to him) to fight back, to stop him or get away.

So them being almost the same height and weight (and compared to my example, the monster in this case IS taller and heavier than her) doesn't mean anything. And it definitely doesn't mean that he couldn't have done it. And add to that that he had a weapon and they were in HIS car (that he knows better than she does) and they were in the very confined space of his car. She didn't have a chance.

 

[PommyMommy]

Actually, that post has some bad info. Rowland's last Facebook post was at 1:23 am, not 12:23 .

Which means, he was awake and posting on his FB page only 46 minutes before she entered his car.

So, within at least 46 minutes, a person who sounded perfectly coherent on FB, but was so drunk they passed out, had their keys picked from their pants pocket by a stranger, without waking up, and had their car stolen.

I would like to know how far away the party was where he passed out.

If this guy is innocent, I have never seen anybody dumber with such bad luck in my life.

Actually it was at 12:23, where he said he never missed a "significant other" shot at basketball.

View attachment 178222

If it's like Twitter, Facebook will show the time in YOUR time zone. When I post tweets here, if I include the time/date stamp, I have to adjust the time to the appropriate time zone (unless I'm in the same time zone). So, that may be why the two of you are seeing different times. MOO

 

[Maa23*s]

(Please correct me if I'm wrong with anything below.)

Hi Maa23. It's my understanding that the idea that the car is in his parents' name came from an interview from his parents where they said something like "our car", although there may be more facts out there that I missed.

I'm not sure if you've seen upthread, but there was a child seat in the back seat of the car when he was arrested. From what I've understood from previous posts, this is for a young niece and that Nate was an "involved uncle". I've seen where the police said the child locks were engaged to keep Sami from getting out, but I'd really love to know what the evidence of that is, because it wouldn't seem a stretch to me that the child locks were already on due to a child being in the car often enough to keep a child seat in it, even with a 24-year-old guy driving it around (not exactly "sexy"), and that perhaps the dome light had been regularly off so as not to wake the child. I can definitely see where these things would appear nefarious, and maybe they were, but I think we need some more facts because it's possible that that's just how that car typically was.

Excellent points!

 

[Miya]

And one more thought - some people here think he couldn't have done it alone or couldn't have put her in his trunk alone or put her where she was found alone - most murderers who dispose of a body do it all by themselves (including serial killers), how many cases do you know where they had help compared to cases where they didn't? And stating the obvious, most don't want anybody to know what they did or those people might go to the police.

And yes, I know there are cases where you have 2 or more perps "working" together, but this also doesn't happen a lot compared to perps "working" alone and I also don't think it's the case here. MOO

 

[Cfdm10199]

Actually it was at 12:23, where he said he never missed a "significant other" shot at basketball.

View attachment 178222

I'm sorry if I'm posting this wrong with the quotes, but when you click on that post, and pull it up alone it shows a time of 1:23.
I wonder why it shows 2 different times it was posted, and wonder which is correct. I'll try to post the image but if I can't here is a direct link that shows the time as 1:23. Nate Rowland Hopefully the image will show up.

 

[Miya]

I'm sorry if I'm posting this wrong with the quotes, but when you click on that post, and pull it up alone it shows a time of 1:23.
I wonder why it shows 2 different times it was posted, and wonder which is correct. I'll try to post the image but if I can't here is a direct link that shows the time as 1:23. Nate Rowland Hopefully the image will show up.

I've been trying to figure this out as well - my theory is that I see the time things were posted in SC time - because when I put my cursor there it shows a 6-hour time difference and I am in Europe and we are 6 hours ahead. So with the cursor over it you see when it was posted in your time zone - the 12.23 am post shows me 6.23 am when I put my cursor over it. But like I said, that's just a theory based on the 6-hour difference, I'm not sure if this is correct.

I hope someone will post who knows or someone who is in the same time zone can give us the times that they are seeing (somebody already posted the times that I am seeing but I don't know if they are in the SC time zone).

 

[Cfdm10199]

If it's like Twitter, Facebook will show the time in YOUR time zone. When I post tweets here, if I include the time/date stamp, I have to adjust the time to the appropriate time zone (unless I'm in the same time zone). So, that may be why the two of you are seeing different times. MOO

I am in Eastern timezone. The weird thing is, I see two different times on all of his posts, all of them with a one hour difference.
His timeline shows the posted time as 1 hour earlier than each undividual post. So I am seeing the same time Pommy Mommy is seeing on his timeline, but an hour later when I click on the post. And I am in the same time time zone as South Carolina.

 

[Maa23*s]

while this has clearly freaked out numerous people, in the depths of your worry, tell yourself that most car service folk and other folk too, are not murders. reading websleuths, like being LE, gives you a worst case perspective.

Of course, I realize most folk aren't murderers, but the video of SJ getting into that vehicle is what did me in. That could have been any one of us.

 

[Miya]

I am in Eastern timezone. The weird thing is, I see two different times on all of his posts, all of them with a one hour difference.
His timeline shows the posted time as 1 hour earlier than each undividual post. So I am seeing the same time Pommy Mommy is seeing on his timeline, but an hour later when I click on the post. And I am in the same time time zone as South Carolina.

Strange. Could this be some daylight savings time Facebook hiccup? I know you changed to it about 4 weeks ago though (we did last weekend).

ETA: Ok, I think I'm giving up on this, I just noticed that people that are my "friends" on FB on my timeline show the same time on the post and when I put my cursor over it, no matter what time zone they are in. And obviously with the perp I have to go to his page as he is not in my "friends list" and there I get the 6-hour difference. Now I have another reason why I don't like FB, how can they not make this more clear?

 

[PommyMommy]

I am in Eastern timezone. The weird thing is, I see two different times on all of his posts, all of them with a one hour difference.
His timeline shows the posted time as 1 hour earlier than each undividual post. So I am seeing the same time Pommy Mommy is seeing on his timeline, but an hour later when I click on the post. And I am in the same time time zone as South Carolina.

I have no idea then, lol. But just to be clear - I haven't noted any time on his FB posts. I'm guessing you mean the time mentioned in the article I posted? MOO

 

[Heather30024]

I have seen the same thoughts here several times ... and I don't really know how to reply to this without saying too much (too much for me, since this is public and it's the internet, and even with being anonymous ...). It's very personal, but from my very own experience with a man about 4 inches shorter than me and probably around the same weight as me (possibly even a bit less considering his height), they can pick you up, the can carry you, they can pick you up and throw you across the room (and more, I won't give more details) and you have no way and don't have the physical strength (compared to him) to fight back, to stop him or get away.

So them being almost the same height and weight (and compared to my example, the monster in this case IS taller and heavier than her) doesn't mean anything. And it definitely doesn't mean that he couldn't have done it. And add to that that he had a weapon and they were in HIS car (that he knows better than she does) and they were in the very confined space of his car. She didn't have a chance.

Understood and thank you for your perspective. I'm sorry you had to experience that.