In a devastating family tragedy that stretched across two South Carolina counties, Natasha Stevens, a 52-year-old Black woman, was killed in a triple homicide. Friends and family gathered for a shared funeral service for Natasha and her two cousins, mourning the immense loss to their community.
The series of grim discoveries began on Sunday, October 9, 2022.
Around 4:40 p.m., officers from the Horry County Police Department were called to a home in the 4000 block of Highway 319 outside of Conway, where they found Natasha Stevens deceased. An investigation determined she had been shot to death earlier that day. Hours later, at about 7:00 p.m., law enforcement in Richland County conducted a welfare check more than 100 miles away at a home on Greensprings Drive in Columbia. Inside, they found the bodies of Natasha’s cousins, 52-year-old Gloria DeWitt and her husband, James “Jim” DeWitt II, who was a town councilman in Atlantic Beach. They had also been fatally shot.
The investigation quickly connected the three homicides, and suspicion fell upon a single family member. The following day, on October 10, police executed a search warrant in Atlantic Beach and arrested 25-year-old Matthew Allen DeWitt. He was identified as the son of James and Gloria DeWitt and a relative of Natasha Stevens. Investigators stated they believed he acted alone.
Matthew DeWitt was taken into custody and charged with three counts of murder. According to arrest warrants related to Natasha’s death, evidence included a confession, witness statements, and forensic evidence indicating he had shot her multiple times with “malice and aforethought.” After his initial court appearance, a judge denied bond, and he has remained incarcerated.
While DeWitt was also indicted for the murders of his parents in Richland County, the legal proceedings have been delayed. As of June 2024, the case is pending the results of court-ordered mental health evaluations to determine if DeWitt is competent to stand trial. It remains unclear when or if a trial will take place.
