On Halloween morning in 2017, a dispute over a stolen handgun tragically led to the death of 41-year-old Stephen Hutchins in Summerville, South Carolina. The male victim was fatally wounded in a drive-by shooting at a residence on Beauregard Road in the Sangaree area. Earlier that day, Joshua Scott Westall, 28, had been at the house where his handgun was reportedly stolen. Enraged, Westall left and later returned with 32-year-old Maurice Durell Wigfall.
The two men then drove by the home, unleashing a volley of gunfire at the structure.
Inside the house, Hutchins was struck and killed by the gunfire. Several other people were present at the residence at the time of the shooting but managed to escape unharmed. Investigators later clarified that Hutchins was not the individual who had allegedly stolen the firearm and was not the intended victim of the violent retaliation. The Berkeley County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene and launched an investigation into the deadly shooting.
Within days, authorities apprehended both suspects. Joshua Scott Westall, originally from Georgia, and Maurice Durell Wigfall, of Hanahan, were arrested and subsequently charged with murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime. The case against the two men proceeded through the legal system, culminating in a trial for Wigfall. In January 2023, a jury found Maurice Durell Wigfall guilty of murder for his role in the shooting. He was sentenced to 45 years in prison for the death of Stephen Hutchins, with an additional five years for the weapons charge. As of early 2023, the case against Joshua Scott Westall was still pending.
