In the late hours of a Halloween weekend in 2021, a deadly encounter unfolded in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, leading to the tragic death of Patrick Shawn Smith. A 49-year-old male from North Carolina, Smith was fatally shot in what authorities later described as a robbery gone wrong. The incident took place in the early morning of October 30, 2021, outside the Sands Ocean Club Resort.
The investigation into Smith's death, which was ruled a homicide, revealed a premeditated plan conceived by a woman he had recently met. Katerena Bedjan, then 28 years old, had encountered Smith just days before the fatal shooting while she was auditioning as a dancer at an adult entertainment club. The two had made an arrangement for her to spend the weekend with him in Myrtle Beach.
Unbeknownst to Smith, Bedjan was in communication with 18-year-old Leo Watkins, informing him that Smith would be carrying a significant amount of cash and would be an easy target for a robbery. In the pre-dawn hours, while Smith and Bedjan were in her car, she sent a text message to Watkins, alerting him to their location.
Watkins arrived armed with a 9mm pistol and approached the vehicle. He opened the car door and demanded Smith's wallet. When Smith resisted the robbery attempt, Watkins fired a single shot, which resulted in Smith's death. Following the investigation by the Horry County Police Department, both Watkins and Bedjan were arrested.
In March of the following year, Katerena Bedjan pleaded guilty to attempted armed robbery for her role in orchestrating the crime. She was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Subsequently, in August 2023, just before his trial was set to commence, Leo Watkins pleaded guilty to murder and attempted armed robbery. He received a 40-year prison sentence for the murder charge, with a concurrent 20-year sentence for the attempted armed robbery. Under the terms of his sentence, Watkins will not be eligible for parole.
