In the small town of Campobello, South Carolina, the life of 34-year-old Laura Ashley Hood was cut short on the evening of October 11, 2017. A mother, daughter, and sister, she was known by those who loved her as a vibrant presence. Hood, a white female, worked at the Village Greens Golf Club, a job that would tragically connect her to the man responsible for her death.
On that fateful night, a 911 call was placed by her 60-year-old coworker, Donald Anthony Partaka.
He claimed to have shot an unknown intruder inside his home on Patterson Road. When Spartanburg County deputies arrived at the residence, they found Hood deceased. However, the scene did not align with Partaka's account. Investigators found no evidence of a forced entry, and other details contradicted his story of a home invasion.
As the investigation progressed, the connection between Partaka and Hood came to light; they were colleagues at the local golf club. Authorities also discovered that Partaka had been drinking in the hours leading up to the fatal shooting. Faced with the inconsistencies in his initial statement and the evidence gathered by law enforcement, Partaka's story began to unravel. He eventually admitted that he knew his victim.
Donald Anthony Partaka was arrested and initially charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. In a turn of events, he later pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, in addition to the weapons charge. On April 22, 2019, nearly a year and a half after Laura Ashley Hood's death, a judge sentenced Partaka to 24 years in prison for the crime.
