In a quiet, wooded area in Indian Land, South Carolina, the body of 20-year-old Randy Tran of Fort Mill was discovered on April 5, 2016. A graduate of Nation Ford High School, Tran was pursuing an engineering degree at York Technical College. His life was cut short by a single gunshot wound to the head. The tragic event unfolded on a Tuesday evening when neighbors witnessed a man moving a body from the trunk of a car on Little River Road and promptly alerted the authorities.
The man seen
by witnesses was identified as 21-year-old David Kucinski, an acquaintance and former high school classmate of Tran's. Kucinski was observed with blood on his clothes and arms as he left Tran's body a few yards off the road and fled the scene in Tran's orange Toyota Scion. A manhunt ensued, and Kucinski was apprehended a few days later at a motel in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The investigation revealed a plot to rob Tran of six pounds of marijuana. This botched robbery ultimately led to his murder. In addition to Kucinski, three other men were arrested and charged in connection with the crime: Chris Dawan Glass Jr., 22; Tony Eugene Maynard, 21; and Nachon Hayden, 22. Under South Carolina's 'hand of one, hand of all' law, all four men faced murder charges.
David Kucinski, identified as the ringleader and shooter, pleaded guilty to murder, armed robbery, and possession of a gun during a violent crime just before his trial was set to begin. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison. The other three men also entered guilty pleas to lesser charges. Nachon Hayden pleaded guilty to armed robbery, while Chris Glass and Tony Maynard pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony, for concealing their knowledge of the crime.
