In the late hours of August 3, 2015, the life of 22-year-old James David Porter III, a White male from Lexington, South Carolina, was tragically cut short. A passerby discovered his body on a secluded dirt section of Old Orangeburg Road, marked by multiple gunshot wounds. Investigators from the Lexington County Sheriff's Department were called to the desolate scene near midnight, where they began the painstaking process of piecing together the final moments of the young man's life.
The
investigation quickly zeroed in on two individuals, Charles Alton Morehouse and Wiley Eugene Sisk, III. A critical piece of evidence was discovered with Porter's body: his cell phone. A review of the device revealed a series of text messages exchanged with Morehouse earlier that evening, leading authorities to his doorstep. It soon came to light that Morehouse was entangled in a local methamphetamine ring and had been the subject of an ongoing narcotics investigation. He held the mistaken belief that Porter was a police informant. The evidence against Morehouse and Sisk continued to mount. DNA from a cigarette butt found at the crime scene was a match to Morehouse, and cell phone data further implicated him in the crime. This evidence suggested that both Morehouse and Sisk were present when Porter was killed.
Within 24 hours of the discovery of Porter's body, investigators had apprehended Morehouse. A search of his residence uncovered methamphetamine and a substantial amount of cash, leading to additional drug-related charges against him and his wife, Crystal Elizabeth Morehouse. Both Morehouse and Sisk were charged with murder. The cases against them proceeded to trial, resulting in convictions for both men. In December 2016, a jury found Wiley Eugene Sisk, III, guilty of murder, conspiracy, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, leading to a sentence of 45 years in prison. The following month, in January 2017, Charles Alton Morehouse was also convicted of murder, criminal conspiracy, and weapons and drug possession. He was sentenced to life in prison, bringing a close to the quest for justice for James David Porter III.
