In a tragic turn of events, 41-year-old Antonio Rowvan Thompson, a male from Greenville, South Carolina, lost his life in February 2021. His body was discovered in a rural, wooded area off Woods Road in northern Chester County on February 28, 2021. An investigation revealed he had been shot in the head.
The incident unfolded inside a Toyota pickup truck where Thompson was a passenger with three other individuals.
Authorities believe that while in the truck near SC Highway 72 north and Cedarhurst Road in Chester County, Kenneth Tyrone Wherry, then 46, shot Thompson. The motive behind the killing was reportedly a robbery for money to buy crack cocaine, with the sheriff's office stating that the use of the drug was a significant factor leading to the murder. Thompson had reportedly asked Wherry for assistance with a disabled car before he was shot.
Following the shooting, Wherry, along with his cousin Lavondia Elisia Wherry, 49, who was driving the vehicle, and another passenger, Mary Elizabeth Muckenfuss, 30, attempted to conceal the crime. They drove to Woods Road, where they dumped Thompson's body. Muckenfuss was also accused of disposing of Thompson's cellphone, driver's license, and bank cards in an effort to cover up the murder.
An investigation led by the Chester County Sheriff's Office and the State Law Enforcement Division resulted in the arrest of all three suspects. Kenneth Tyrone Wherry was charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. Lavondia Elisia Wherry and Mary Elizabeth Muckenfuss were both charged with accessory to murder after the fact. In April 2022, a Chester County jury found Kenneth Tyrone Wherry guilty of murder. He was subsequently sentenced to 45 years in prison for the murder and received an additional five years for the weapons charge.
