In the spring of 2019, the life of 23-year-old Mary Carmichael was tragically cut short in a violent act that also claimed the life of another individual. On the night of May 11th, Carmichael and 26-year-old Jahquan Peterson were fatally shot in an apartment on Skyland Drive in Columbia, South Carolina. The incident, which unfolded at approximately 10 p.m., was the result of a home invasion and armed robbery.
Investigators determined that two masked men armed with pistols ambushed
Peterson as he was returning home. They forced him into the residence at gunpoint and pistol-whipped him. Once inside, the assailants shot and killed Peterson. In a courageous act of self-defense, Mary Carmichael, who was in an upstairs bedroom, fired at the intruders, wounding one of them. The attackers returned fire, tragically killing Carmichael.
The investigation swiftly led to a suspect. Genari Gresean McNeil, who was 18 years old at the time, was arrested shortly after the incident. He had sought treatment at a local hospital for gunshot wounds to his wrist, leg, and head, which were sustained when Carmichael returned fire. Hospital surveillance footage captured another man, his face concealed, dropping McNeil off before fleeing. Despite his injuries, McNeil was uncooperative with investigators about how he had been shot. Evidence from the crime scene, including McNeil's blood, linked him to the double homicide.
In March 2023, Genari McNeil was brought to trial. After a jury deliberation of about an hour and a half, he was found guilty on two counts of murder, as well as armed robbery, first-degree burglary, and possession of a weapon. For the murders of Mary Carmichael and Jahquan Peterson, McNeil was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences. He received an additional 30 years in prison for the other charges. While one perpetrator was brought to justice, the identity of the second man involved in the home invasion remains publicly unknown, and it is unclear if an arrest was ever made in connection with his involvement in the deaths of Mary Carmichael and Jahquan Peterson.
