In the fall of 2018, the life of a young man from Pinopolis, South Carolina, was tragically cut short, leaving a community in mourning and a family searching for answers. Richard W. Patterson Jr., a 24-year-old male, was found deceased on October 22, 2018, in the trunk of an abandoned vehicle in a rural area of Berkeley County. The discovery was made by a property owner on Tairney Lane in St. Stephen, who had noticed the unfamiliar car parked on a side road.
Upon finding the keys, the property owner opened the trunk and made the grim discovery.
The Berkeley County Coroner's Office was called to the scene, and an autopsy later confirmed that Patterson had died from gunshot wounds. His death was officially ruled a homicide, launching an intensive investigation by the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office. Detectives worked diligently, pursuing all available leads in an effort to bring justice to Richard Patterson and his grieving family. He was remembered as a 2012 graduate of Berkeley High School, where he had been a member of the cross-country and wrestling teams. He was also a lifelong member of the Moncks Corner Pentecostal Holiness Church and was known for his love of fishing and spending time with his family.
The investigation quickly led to a breakthrough. On October 25, 2018, just three days after the discovery of Patterson's body, authorities announced an arrest in the case. Richard Elliott Sanders, a 33-year-old man from St. Stephen, was taken into custody and charged with murder in connection with Patterson's death. Following his arrest, Sanders was transported to the Hill-Finklea Detention Center to await legal proceedings. The swift arrest brought a small measure of relief to a community shaken by the violent crime, as they mourned the loss of a young life.
