In the early morning hours of June 28, 2021, a senseless act of violence tragically cut short the life of 22-year-old Kyndall Ayanna Curry in Greenwood, South Carolina. Kyndall, a beloved daughter and friend, was found shot to death inside a car alongside her best friend, Ariel Beaks. The two young women were on Jones Street when the fatal shots were fired.
Authorities initially believed the shooting stemmed from an ongoing domestic issue between Ariel Beaks and the father of her child.
Following the double homicide, police swiftly arrested 21-year-old Cassius Broadwater Jr. and charged him with two counts of murder and possession of a deadly weapon. Witnesses reported hearing a verbal argument before the gunshots. For nearly two years, the case against Broadwater proceeded, with Kyndall's mother, Vanessa Cloud, expressing her pain and desire to face her daughter's accused killer in court.
However, in a significant turn of events in July 2023, the murder charges against Cassius Broadwater were dismissed. The eighth circuit solicitor dropped the charges due to new forensic evidence and witness statements that pointed to another individual. An ankle monitor reportedly showed that Broadwater was over 550 feet away at the time of the shooting. Furthermore, a report from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division indicated that the firearm used in the murders was matched to a different person.
With the charges against the initial suspect dropped, Greenwood police began seeking warrants for a new person of interest, Quindarius Washington, in connection with the murders of Kyndall Curry and Ariel Beaks. Broadwater's attorney stated that his client had suggested investigators look into Washington at the time of his arrest due to previous disagreements. While the initial arrest brought a sense of closure to the families, the subsequent dismissal of charges and the naming of a new suspect have prolonged their quest for justice.
