In the autumn of 2015, the life of 36-year-old Vermon Steve, known to his loved ones as 'Mony,' was tragically cut short in Beaufort, South Carolina. His story is one of betrayal and violence that began to unfold on October 25, 2015, the day he was last seen alive. What started as a missing person case reported by his concerned mother would eventually become a homicide investigation that would grip the community for years to come.
For three agonizing weeks, his family and friends were left to wonder about his fate, a period of uncertainty that ended in the most devastating way. On November 18, 2015, his burned remains were discovered on the side of Pea Patch Road on St. Helena Island.
The investigation into Vermon Steve's disappearance and murder revealed a chilling sequence of events that began at his home on Green Street. On the day he went missing, a friend arrived to meet him but instead was confronted by two men, Tyrone Anthony Wallace Jr. and Varsheen 'Twiz' Smith, who had been Steve's roommate. The friend was held at gunpoint, bound, and gagged as his captors demanded to know Steve's whereabouts. A stroke of luck led to the friend's release when a Beaufort Police car, responding to an unrelated call, drove past the house, startling the assailants. It later came to light that just before his disappearance, Steve had asked Smith, who had a prior federal prison record, to move out of his home.
The unraveling of the case led to the arrests of four individuals connected to the crime. Tyrone Anthony Wallace Jr. was ultimately charged with the murder of Vermon Steve and the kidnapping of his friend. During police interviews, Wallace admitted to shooting Steve multiple times in the back. Varsheen 'Twiz' Smith faced charges for his role in the kidnapping and for being an accessory to the murder. Two other men, Tayquan Lampkin and Domonique Cook, were also implicated and charged as accessories after the fact.
The pursuit of justice for Vermon Steve culminated in the convictions of all four men involved. Tyrone Anthony Wallace Jr. was found guilty of murder and kidnapping, receiving a sentence of life in prison for the murder and a concurrent 25-year sentence for the kidnapping. Varsheen 'Twiz' Smith was convicted of kidnapping and sentenced to 25 years in prison; he also faced a pending charge of accessory after the fact to murder. Tayquan Lampkin and Domonique Cook both pleaded guilty to being accessories after the fact to murder, bringing a close to the legal proceedings and offering some measure of closure to a family who had endured unimaginable loss.
