GUILTY SC v. Christopher Dontell: Coroner Affair Murder Trial

[Luna20]

It was difficult to watch him testify. I feel sorry for him, he seems credible at this point. She on the other hand seems evil and wants to imply that this was his fault. Her facial expressions look demonic.

I will look at it further because I didn’t catch much of it and I missed the key points about text messages, etc.

 

[less0305]

It was difficult to watch him testify. I feel sorry for him, he seems credible at this point. She on the other hand seems evil and wants to imply that this was his fault. Her facial expressions look demonic.

It amazed me the judge allowed her to be so demonstrative with her facial expressions and head actions in front of the jury. Of course, give her enough rope, as the old saying goes - because when she was smiling and laughing during testimony, I thought, honey, you just cooked your goose.

 

[arielilane]

Closing arguments coming up in Horry County murder trial

Closing arguments and deliberations are coming up in a Horry County murder trial.

www.wmbfnews.com

Jun. 17, 2025 |Updated: 10 minutes ago

 

[arielilane]

VERDICT REACHED in SC v. Meagan Jackson. (Sorry for the jump scare for Read followers).

Watch Live:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1935039087305703668

 

[arielilane]

Defendant chooses not to testify in 2020 murder trial; state rests case

The Meagan Jackson trial is continuing on Tuesday morning.

wpde.com

6/17/2025

 

[arielilane]

@cathyrusson


It took the jury two hours to find Meagan Jackson guilty of the murder of the father of her children. The man she was having an affair with testified that he witnessed her kill Gregory Rice.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1935042319268594128

 

[less0305]

Can anyone from SC answer how a life sentence works? Since the Judge did not say Life with or without the possibility of parole, but said something to the effect of imprisoned the rest of your natural life, does that mean life with no parole? I'm so glad the jury found her guilty. Now bring her up on charges of child abuse.

 

[arielilane]

Circuit Court Judge Benjamin Culbertson presided over the case and sentenced Jackson to serve life in prison. Jackson, of Murrells Inlet, will not be eligible for parole.

South Carolina woman sentenced to life in prison for murdering the father of her 4 kids

A fisherwoman discovered the body more than a month after the South Carolina man was reported missing.

www.wjcl.com

6.18.2025

 

[arielilane]

The state of SC have a lot of factors that play into life sentences. Unfortunately, Susan Smith convicted of murdering her two sons Michael and Alexander, was given possibility of parole after 30 years. She was recently denied parole (Yes!) but I believe she will be again up for parole in five years.

2020 South Carolina Code of Laws :: Title 17 - Criminal Procedures :: Chapter 25 - Judgment And Execution :: Section 17-25-45. Life sentence for person convicted for certain crimes.

Justia Free Databases of U.S. Laws, Codes & Statutes

law.justia.com

How Long Is a Life Sentence in South Carolina?

Learn how life sentences work in South Carolina, including parole eligibility, sentence modifications, and the differences between concurrent and consecutive terms.

legalclarity.org

 

[Spectrix]

Can anyone from SC answer how a life sentence works? Since the Judge did not say Life with or without the possibility of parole, but said something to the effect of imprisoned the rest of your natural life, does that mean life with no parole? I'm so glad the jury found her guilty. Now bring her up on charges of child abuse.

Yes, it appears that in SC, a life sentence for murder (and most serious violent crimes) means life without parole.

The Judges words were:
"The sentence of the court is that you be committed to the department of corrections for the remainder of your life."


South Carolina sentencing -

• Murder and most serious violent crimes
  These crimes fall under South Carolina Code § 16‑3‑20. A conviction results in a life sentence—meaning the individual remains in prison until death, without parole.
• "Two‑Strikes"/"Three‑Strikes" law (§ 17‑25‑45)
  If someone is convicted of a “most serious” offense and has prior serious convictions, the court must impose life without parole, even if they weren’t convicted of murder. This is sometimes referred to as a life sentence under the state’s Two‑Strikes/Three‑Strikes law.
• Parole eligibility for other eligible life sentences
  For non‑murder crimes that carry life or extremely long sentences (over 30–40 years), inmates may—under certain circumstances—be eligible for parole after serving at least 10 years, especially in prison terms over 40 years. However, for murder and serious violent offenders, these parole exceptions generally do not apply

 

[Spectrix]

In November 2020, after being charged with the Murder of Gregory Rice, Meagan Jackson was additionally charged with four counts of Unlawful Neglect of a Child.

A search warrant executed at Jackson’s home Thursday in connection with the murder case revealed evidence of child abuse.
Jackson is accused of locking her three youngest children in their rooms without a way to get out, according to warrants. The rooms had electronic locks that had the batteries removed.
Warrants allege the inside of the door didn’t have a doorknob and the lock needed a key code to unlock, which the kids didn’t know. Jackson is also accused of putting padlocks on the windows and manipulating the side tracks to make it impossible to open the windows.
The children were forced to urinate in whatever containers were available in the room, according to the warrants.

From www.wbtw.com/crime article

Prior to being convicted, this information would have been classified as prejudicial as it's not directly related the murder charges.

Savannah Rice, the daughter of Meagan Jackson, briefly alluded to living in a tightly controlled environment during her mother's murder trial. She stated that her mother had removed the ability from her phone to make outgoing phone calls.
She was also clearly terrified on the stand. Big Props to Savannah for choosing to give evidence before the court. It took a lot of courage to face her mother in that environment.

Savannah's Testimony - video cued to 1:34:52

 

[arielilane]

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WIS/WMBF) - A former deputy coroner in South Carolina who helped his lover cover up a murder will spend over a decade and a half behind bars.

WMBF reports a judge sentenced Chris Dontell on Monday to 20 years in prison for criminal conspiracy to commit murder and accessory after the fact in connection with the 2020 death of Gregory Rice.

Judge sentences ex-SC deputy coroner who helped cover up his lover’s murder

A former deputy coroner in South Carolina who helped his lover cover up a murder was sentenced Monday.

www.wistv.com

 

[Luna20]

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WIS/WMBF) - A former deputy coroner in South Carolina who helped his lover cover up a murder will spend over a decade and a half behind bars.

WMBF reports a judge sentenced Chris Dontell on Monday to 20 years in prison for criminal conspiracy to commit murder and accessory after the fact in connection with the 2020 death of Gregory Rice.

Judge sentences ex-SC deputy coroner who helped cover up his lover’s murder

A former deputy coroner in South Carolina who helped his lover cover up a murder was sentenced Monday.

www.wistv.com

She got LWOP right?