In the quiet town of Holly Hill, South Carolina, the community was shaken by the discovery of a young man's body in the stillness of Shuler Cemetery. On the afternoon of January 19, 2019, authorities were called to the scene where they found 29-year-old Steven Lincoln Jr., a Black/African American male, deceased. An investigation by the Berkeley County Coroner's Office would later confirm that he had sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
The tragic event cut short a young life, leaving a family to grieve and a community searching for answers.
The investigation into Lincoln's death soon pointed detectives toward a single suspect: 27-year-old Thomas Scott McFadden Jr. At the time, McFadden was already incarcerated at the Hill-Finklea Detention Center in Moncks Corner on charges unrelated to Lincoln's case. Investigators were able to connect McFadden to the crime through forensic evidence. Spent ammunition casings recovered from the cemetery were a match to a firearm McFadden was accused of using in another shooting incident. This crucial link provided the evidence needed to charge him with the murder of Steven Lincoln Jr.
Further details emerged, painting a clearer picture of the events that transpired on that fateful day. It was revealed that both Lincoln and McFadden had been in attendance at a funeral for a Dorchester County homicide victim shortly before Lincoln was found dead. Witnesses reported seeing McFadden at the cemetery following the service. Later that day, at a cookout, McFadden allegedly brandished the weapon used in the shooting and spoke of his involvement in both Lincoln's death and another shooting. A look into McFadden's past revealed a significant criminal history, including previous murder charges of which he had been acquitted or had the charges otherwise disposed of in court. The community and Lincoln's loved ones now await the progression of the legal case against McFadden, hoping for justice to be served.
