In the early hours of a Friday morning in Orangeburg, South Carolina, the life of Rodney Allen Spigner, a 36-year-old Black man, was tragically cut short. On April 21, 2017, just after midnight, Spigner was involved in a heated argument with a woman on Jamison Avenue. As the dispute unfolded, a car pulled up to the scene. A young man emerged from the vehicle, brandished a firearm, and shot Spigner. The assailant then got back into his car and fled, leaving Spigner grievously wounded. A witness who had been attempting to help him remained by his side until emergency services arrived.
The Orangeburg County Sheriff's Department quickly launched an investigation. Working with a description of the shooter, investigators were able to identify a suspect in less than 13 hours. Later that same day, at approximately 1:00 p.m., 19-year-old Steven Rolley was taken into custody. He was subsequently charged with the murder of Rodney Spigner and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.
Following his arrest, Steven Rolley was held at the Orangeburg County Jail as he awaited legal proceedings. His case moved through the justice system, and as of May 2020, he was still incarcerated and awaiting trial for the 2017 shooting. In a separate incident during his incarceration, Rolley, then 22, along with two other inmates, was charged with attempting to escape the jail by trying to dig through a wall. While initial reports after the shooting mentioned an anonymous 24-year-old man from Orangeburg had pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in connection to Spigner's death, later and more specific reports point to Steven Rolley as the sole individual charged and awaiting trial for the crime. The final outcome of the murder charge against Steven Rolley is not available in publicly accessible online records.
