In the late summer of 2015, the life of 30-year-old Latron Lewis was cut short in a fatal encounter in a Myrtle Beach, South Carolina hotel parking lot. The male victim was shot and killed on August 30, 2015, following a heated argument that escalated to deadly violence. The incident unfolded in the parking lot of the La Quinta Inn & Suites on 21st Avenue North, shattering the early morning quiet.
An argument between Lewis and another man, Darrell Deas, reportedly concerning Lewis's
teenage son, spiraled out of control. A witness to the altercation, a hotel employee who had come to investigate a guest's complaint about the dispute, described seeing Deas attempting to walk away from the argument and get into his car. Lewis followed and reached into Deas's vehicle, at which point a single gunshot rang out, striking and killing Lewis.
Following an investigation into the deadly shooting, law enforcement identified Darrell Deas as the suspect. He was subsequently arrested and initially charged with murder. However, the legal proceedings took a different turn. In February 2019, more than three years after the incident, Deas, then 35, agreed to a plea deal. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter.
Deas's defense attorneys argued that the shooting was an act of self-defense. A witness testified that it was possible Lewis was reaching for the gun when he was shot. As a result of his guilty plea to voluntary manslaughter, Darrell Deas was sentenced to serve 15 years in prison for the death of Latron Lewis.
