In the early morning hours of May 3, 2019, the life of 23-year-old Ezquiel Estrich was tragically cut short in a fatal shooting at the Fairview Gardens apartment complex in Anderson, South Carolina. Estrich, a resident of the complex, was found inside an apartment with multiple gunshot wounds to his chest and leg. He was not the only victim of the violence that shattered the pre-dawn quiet.
Alongside him, 18-year-old Margaret Blanding, who was pregnant, was also found deceased at the scene from a gunshot wound to her chest. Their deaths were quickly ruled as homicides by the Anderson County Coroner's Office.
Responding to reports of gunfire shortly after 1 a.m., Anderson police officers arrived at the apartment complex and witnessed a vehicle speeding away from the scene. A pursuit ensued, crossing state lines into Hart County, Georgia. With the assistance of Hart County deputies, the fleeing vehicle was stopped, and two individuals were taken into custody. The swift actions of law enforcement led to the apprehension of the men suspected of being responsible for the double homicide that also claimed the life of an unborn child.
The two men arrested were identified as 21-year-old Brandon Omar Cullins and 31-year-old Demetrius Kentrell Mark, both from Anderson. Cullins faced a litany of charges, including two counts of murder, death or bodily injury to a child in utero during the commission of a violent crime, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and failure to stop for a blue light. Mark was charged with accessory after the fact to a felony or murder, accused of helping Cullins dispose of the handgun used in the shootings. Investigators stated that both men admitted to their involvement in the crimes, bringing a swift, albeit somber, resolution to the initial phase of the investigation.
