In the late winter of 2019, the life of 25-year-old Alexis Victoria Azarigian was tragically cut short in Lexington, SC. On the morning of February 21, 2019, Azarigian was a passenger in a car traveling down Augusta Road. An argument broke out with another passenger, 28-year-old Joseph Randolph Henry, who was seated behind her. Witnesses in the vehicle later testified that Henry became angry with Azarigian before he drew a firearm from a leather bag and shot her in the head.
The driver
of the car pulled into a nearby church parking lot to seek help and call 911. After shooting Azarigian, Henry reportedly made a statement to the other occupants of the car before fleeing the scene. Law enforcement was able to apprehend him within 30 minutes, approximately 400 yards away. A 9mm firearm was discovered inside a brown leather bag under the driver's seat of the vehicle Henry was driving. DNA from the trigger of the weapon was later found to be consistent with Henry's.
Initially, Henry was charged with attempted murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. However, Alexis Azarigian succumbed to her injuries and passed away on February 25, 2019. Following her death, the charges against Henry were upgraded to murder. In the wake of this tragedy, Azarigian's family made the decision to donate her organs, an act that saved the lives of several other people. The community rallied around her family, raising money to help with medical expenses.
In October 2020, Joseph Randolph Henry was convicted of murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. He was sentenced to a total of 40 years in prison—35 years for the murder and 5 years for the weapon charge, to be served consecutively. Under South Carolina law, he is not eligible for parole. Family members, including her mother, spoke at the sentencing, remembering Azarigian as a loving daughter and sister with a 'very large loving heart.' A graduate of Newberry Academy and a former trainer at Gold's Gym, her life was brutally taken, leaving her family and community to mourn their profound loss.
