In the early morning hours of June 26, 2017, the quiet of a residential area in Conway, South Carolina, was broken by the sound of a taxi cab crashing into a home on Juniper Bay Road. Inside the vehicle, 66-year-old Dennis Mantel, a white male, was found unresponsive. Initially, first responders treated the incident as a case of cardiac arrest, but they soon discovered a fatal gunshot wound to his neck. Mr.
Mantel was transported to Conway Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 6:45 a.m.
The investigation by the Horry County Police Department quickly shifted to a homicide, and they began a search for the person responsible for the death of the Imperial Cab driver. Their investigation led them to identify Marion Javon Campbell, a 23-year-old from the Horry County area, as the primary suspect in the slaying. A warrant was issued for his arrest, and his name and photograph were released to the public as police sought information on his whereabouts. It was later revealed that Campbell had fled to Florida following the incident.
After returning to South Carolina, Marion Javon Campbell was apprehended and charged with the murder of Dennis Mantel. The motive for the crime was determined to be a botched robbery. In October 2019, Campbell appeared in an Horry County courtroom and pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter. During the hearing, it was disclosed that Campbell had a history of drug use. The judge sentenced him to the maximum term of 30 years in prison. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Campbell will be required to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence.
