On the evening of February 8, 2019, in Una, South Carolina, a 24-year-old mother named Alexandra Renea Toney was fatally shot while sitting in a car with several other people, including her two young children. The tragic incident unfolded around 8:30 PM on Edgewood Avenue and was reportedly the culmination of an argument concerning a drug transaction.
The shooter was identified as 68-year-old Linda Huntley, a resident of the neighborhood.
Believing that Toney was a gang member who had issued threats against her earlier that day, Huntley fired a rifle from her front porch into the vehicle Alexandra Toney occupied. When deputies arrived at the scene, they found Huntley with the rifle at her feet. Following the shooting, it was Huntley herself who contacted 911 to report the event. Alexandra Toney was transported to a nearby hospital but ultimately succumbed to her injuries.
Linda Huntley was taken into custody and subsequently faced a series of serious charges, including one count of murder, four counts of attempted murder, and a charge for the possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. Despite the severity of the charges, a Spartanburg County judge granted Huntley a $125,000 bond, a decision that sparked outrage among Toney's family. They expressed their heartbreak and fear, particularly for the well-being of Toney's children who had to witness the traumatic event.
In April of 2022, Linda Huntley entered a guilty plea to the voluntary manslaughter of Alexandra Toney. She also pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and battery, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and three counts of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature. The court sentenced Huntley to a 30-year prison term, which was suspended to three years of service, to be followed by five years of home detention and an additional five years of probation.
