On a cold winter evening in Anderson, South Carolina, the life of 24-year-old Daquavious Antonio Tillison was violently cut short. On February 6, 2021, Tillison, a Black man, and his friend Lorenzo Sanchez Hunter, were shot and killed while sitting in a vehicle on B Street. The sudden violence left the community in shock and a family grappling with a profound loss.
The investigation into the double homicide quickly identified three suspects: Frank Thomas Rhoads, then 39, William
Christopher Flynn, 31, and Dominick Michael Rhoads, 19. An alert was issued for their arrest, cautioning that they were considered armed and dangerous. The trio fled South Carolina, leading law enforcement on a multi-state manhunt that culminated in a high-speed chase in Virginia. Six days after the fatal shooting, the suspects were apprehended after crashing their vehicle and attempting to flee on foot.
Following their extradition back to South Carolina, all three men initially faced two counts of murder. The motive for the killings appeared to stem from a dispute earlier in the evening at a local bar. Prosecutors stated that Frank Rhoads had a history with Tillison, who shared a child with Rhoads' step-daughter. An argument at the bar escalated, and later that night, Rhoads, accompanied by Flynn and his relative Dominick Rhoads, drove to Tillison's home. When Tillison and Hunter arrived, Frank Rhoads opened fire on their vehicle, fatally wounding both men. Tillison was pronounced dead at the scene from gunshot wounds to the head, while Hunter succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital.
The legal process for the three men took different paths. Frank Thomas Rhoads, the gunman, went to trial. His initial trial in March 2025 ended in a mistrial. However, justice was served in a subsequent trial in August 2025. An Anderson County jury found Frank Rhoads guilty of two counts of murder and one count of possession of a weapon during a violent crime. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The cases against William Christopher Flynn and Dominick Michael Rhoads concluded with plea deals. Both men pleaded guilty to two counts of accessory after the fact to murder. In August 2025, Flynn was sentenced to 15 years in prison, with the possibility of parole. In September 2025, Dominick Rhoads also received a 15-year sentence for his role in the crime.
