In the quiet, rural setting of Greenwood, South Carolina, a horrific scene unfolded on August 2, 2021, ending the life of 56-year-old Randy Grant Perkins. A male, Perkins was found deceased in his home on Heddy Road alongside his family members, 30-year-old Megan Lee Gale Dinkins and her 10-year-old daughter, Shey Nicole Dinkins. The grim discovery was made after another child in the home, an 8-year-old boy, managed to escape and alert a neighbor, despite having been shot and wounded.
The investigation into the triple homicide quickly pointed to a single suspect: Jeffery David Powell, a 36-year-old relative who had been living with the family. Authorities determined that after the killings, Powell used the victims' cell phones to transfer money to himself for an Uber ride and a commercial flight to Jacksonville, Florida. He was apprehended at a hotel in Jacksonville shortly after the bodies were discovered.
The motive for the brutal crime appeared to stem from Powell's fear of being evicted from the home. Perkins, who was described by his sister as a man of integrity and generosity, had been providing Powell with a place to live. On the day of the murders, Powell first shot Megan Dinkins and her children as they slept. He then lay in wait for Perkins to return from his overnight shift at a local plant, shooting him multiple times in the back of the head as he entered his home, his lunchbox still over his shoulder.
In March 2022, Jeffery David Powell pleaded guilty to three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. During the sentencing, he offered a tearful, brief apology to the victims' families. The judge handed down three consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, ensuring Powell would spend the remainder of his life in prison for the devastating loss he inflicted on the family and the community.
