In a tragic turn of events on a Tuesday afternoon in April 2018, 23-year-old Mardarius GeQuan Bailey of Lancaster, South Carolina, was fatally shot. The incident unfolded near the intersection of Highway 5 and Adnah Church Road in a rural area between Rock Hill and York. Bailey was a passenger in a car when the shooting occurred. The driver of the vehicle, reportedly Bailey's cousin, desperately sought help, flagging down a state trooper after the shooting.
Employees from a nearby business also rushed to Bailey's aid, with one performing CPR, but his injuries were too severe. Bailey, a father of two small children, was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly after.
The investigation into Bailey's death quickly led authorities to two suspects. The day after the shooting, police arrested 19-year-old Tyler Wayne Montgomery of Rock Hill and charged him with murder. A witness reportedly identified Montgomery in a photo lineup. The search for a second suspect concluded a day later with the arrest of Montgomery's roommate, 19-year-old Robert Evans Outen, who was also charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
As the case proceeded through the legal system, the motive behind the senseless act of violence became clear. Prosecutors revealed that the shooting was the result of a drug deal that turned into a robbery. Montgomery and Outen had arranged to sell a quarter-pound of marijuana to Bailey and had plotted to rob him during the transaction. During the botched robbery, Outen shot Bailey.
In December 2018, both men pleaded guilty to their roles in Bailey's death. Robert Evans Outen, the shooter, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. He expressed remorse in court, attributing his actions to drug addiction, and was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Tyler Wayne Montgomery, who was described as helpful to the authorities in the investigation, pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to manslaughter, attempted armed robbery, and possession of a gun during a violent crime. He received a nine-year prison sentence for his involvement.
