In Sumter, South Carolina, a family argument at a Millwood Avenue home on October 16, 2022, ended in the tragic death of 35-year-old Joseph Patrick Borja Benavente. The male victim succumbed to a gunshot wound at the scene, an outcome later confirmed by the Sumter County Coroner. The residence where the fatal altercation occurred was one he shared with a relative, JohnRay Jacob Borja.
The argument, which began in the yard of their shared home, escalated to a fatal point when JohnRay
Borja allegedly shot Benavente with a handgun. Following the incident, law enforcement was called to the residence. JohnRay Jacob Borja, who was 25 years old at the time, was taken into custody at the scene by the Sumter County Sheriff's Office. He was subsequently arrested and faced charges of murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
Following his arrest, JohnRay Borja was booked into the Sumter County Detention Center. An autopsy for Joseph Benavente was scheduled to be performed at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston to officially determine the cause of death. The investigation into the shooting was handled by the Sumter County Sheriff's Office and the Coroner's Office, with the familial relationship between the victim and the alleged shooter being a significant aspect of the case.
