In the fall of 2018, the life of 21-year-old Quinton Tyree Williams was tragically cut short in Marion, South Carolina. On the evening of Tuesday, October 30, 2018, officers responded to reports of gunfire at the Eastbrook Estates on Bluff Street. Upon arrival, they discovered the body of Quinton Tyree Williams, a Black male, lying face down next to a vehicle in the parking lot.
He had been fatally shot.
The investigation into the death of Williams, a resident of Marion, led the local police department to a suspect. Paul Rashod Howard, then 30 years old, was arrested and subsequently charged with the murder of Williams. In addition to the murder charge, Howard faced charges of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, pointing and presenting a firearm, and discharging a firearm within city limits. Following his arrest, the determination of his bond was deferred to the Circuit Court.
The legal proceedings against Paul Rashod Howard continued for several years. In a significant development in March 2024, a jury found Howard not guilty of the murder of Quinton Tyree Williams. The verdict was reached after a trial where the evidence against him was presented and reviewed. The acquittal left many questions unanswered for the community and the family of Williams.
