In the winter of 2019, a tragic event unfolded in Columbia, South Carolina, that claimed the life of 28-year-old Branton T. Booker and two of his housemates. On the morning of December 17th, violence shattered the quiet of the Woodland Village apartment complex. Booker, along with Sheldon D. Livingston, 26, and Duwan E. Williams, 27, were fatally shot in what investigators determined was not a random act of violence.
A fourth individual in the apartment at the time of the shooting managed to escape unharmed and alert the authorities.
The Lexington County Sheriff's Department launched an intensive investigation into the triple homicide. Their efforts led to the identification of two suspects. The first, Justin Tyler Ellaree Hopkins, 21 years old at the time, was apprehended following a traffic stop. Evidence gathered from his home and the crime scene linked him to the murders. Witnesses reported seeing Hopkins near the apartment before the shooting and fleeing the scene afterward.
Shortly after Hopkins's arrest, a second suspect, 38-year-old Jeremy Savoy Cornish, was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service's fugitive task force. Investigators established that Cornish was the driver of the truck that transported Hopkins to and from the apartment complex on the day of the killings. Both men were subsequently charged with three counts of murder and first-degree burglary.
The legal proceedings that followed brought the details of the brutal crime to light. During the trials of Hopkins and Cornish, it was revealed that the victims were ambushed in their own home. Evidence presented showed that Booker was shot upon opening the door, while Livingston and Williams were tragically killed in their sleep. The motive appeared to be robbery, as the perpetrators were seen rummaging through the apartment after the shootings.
In October 2022, justice was served for Branton T. Booker and the other victims. Following separate trials, both Justin Tyler Ellaree Hopkins and Jeremy Savoy Cornish were found guilty on all charges, including three counts of murder. For their roles in the heinous crime, both men were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, ensuring they would be held accountable for the lives they had taken.
