In the heart of Newberry, South Carolina, a community was shaken by the tragic loss of a beloved local business owner. Roberto Facio-Ledesma, a 41-year-old Hispanic male, was a well-known and respected figure, not only among the downtown merchants but also within the broader Hispanic community. He was the proprietor of Leslie's Hair Salon, a familiar establishment on Main Street.
His life was abruptly and violently cut short on a Wednesday afternoon in August 2015, leaving behind a grieving wife and daughter.
The unfortunate discovery was made by a family member who had stopped by the salon around 2 p.m. to bring him lunch. Inside, they found a scene of horror: Roberto Facio-Ledesma was deceased. The cause of death was later determined to be a single gunshot wound to the head, an act that authorities would come to describe as an execution-style killing. The official autopsy report confirmed that a laceration to the brain was the fatal injury, and his death was officially classified as a homicide. The news of his murder sent ripples of shock and sorrow through the close-knit town of Newberry.
The investigation into the death of Roberto Facio-Ledesma was swift. Law enforcement, including the Newberry Police Department, the Newberry County Sheriff's Office, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, worked diligently to piece together the events of that fateful day. Their efforts quickly led them to a suspect, Kenny Octavis Ruff, a 32-year-old from Newberry. Ruff was taken into custody just outside of Prosperity later that same evening. He was subsequently charged with murder and armed robbery in connection with the case.
The evidence against Kenny Ruff was substantial. Investigators discovered that Ruff had forced Facio-Ledesma to disconnect the salon's surveillance DVR before forcing him to his knees and shooting him in the back of the head at point-blank range. Ruff then fled the scene with the DVR concealed in a white trash bag. This bag was later recovered from a dumpster at a nearby apartment complex and contained not only the damaged DVR but also a shirt Ruff had worn during the commission of the crime. Although the DVR was damaged, the FBI was able to extract the footage, which positively identified Ruff as the assailant. This, along with footage from other nearby businesses and witness testimonies, placed Ruff at the scene. After a trial where the jury deliberated for approximately two hours, Kenny Octavis Ruff was found guilty of murder, armed robbery, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. Citing the severity of the crime and Ruff's prior history of violent offenses, a judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
