In the early afternoon of a January day, a burst of violence shattered the calm at a local auto business in Newberry, South Carolina, leaving a family and community to grapple with a sudden and senseless loss. On January 7, 2019, Sterling Andrea Winn, a 53-year-old male, was at All Auto on Glenn Street when he was struck by a bullet in his back. First responders rushed to the scene around 1:33 p.m. and found Winn grievously wounded.
He was quickly transported to Palmetto Health Baptist Parkridge in Columbia for emergency medical treatment. Despite the efforts of the medical team, the single gunshot wound had caused extensive blood loss, and Winn succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation into the shooting was a collaborative effort involving the Newberry Police Department, the Newberry County Sheriff's Office, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. As detectives began interviewing witnesses and processing the crime scene, they soon identified persons of interest. Their investigation first led to the arrest of Tyleek Tywon Goudelock, a 26-year-old who was present at the scene. Goudelock was charged with misprision of a felony, for allegedly having knowledge of the crime and failing to notify authorities, as well as several drug-related offenses, including possession with intent to distribute marijuana near a park.
While Goudelock was in custody, the focus of the homicide investigation centered on identifying the individual who pulled the trigger. Through diligent police work and, according to the police chief, with help from the public, investigators identified 31-year-old Jonathan Conrad Dawkins as the primary suspect in the fatal shooting of Sterling Winn. A few days after the incident, Dawkins was located and arrested without incident. He was subsequently charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. At the time of the arrest, law enforcement officials described Winn as a law-abiding citizen who was tragically in the wrong place at the wrong time, and they vowed to bring an end to the gun violence that had shaken their community.
The legal proceedings against Jonathan Conrad Dawkins for the murder of Sterling Andrea Winn, however, did not result in a conviction. Court records indicate that the murder charge against Dawkins was eventually dismissed through a nolle prosequi. This legal action signifies that the prosecutor's office elected to discontinue the prosecution of the case. While the charges were dropped, the nolle prosequi was filed 'with leave to re-indict,' which means that authorities retain the option to refile the murder charge against Dawkins in the future should new evidence or circumstances arise.
