In the summer of 2015, the life of 22-year-old Alphonzo LaQuan Pyles was tragically cut short in a parking lot near Greer, South Carolina. On the morning of July 18, 2015, Pyles was discovered shot to death, leaving his family and community searching for answers. The male victim’s death was quickly ruled a homicide, launching an investigation by the Greenville County Sheriff's Office that would span several years.
For a long time, the case remained unsolved, becoming a cold case that
investigators periodically revisited. A significant breakthrough came when cold case investigators uncovered a crucial link between Pyles and a man named Brandon Rashard Barksdale. It was revealed that both men had been involved in an armed robbery together in 2013. Investigators learned that Barksdale had reason to believe Pyles might testify against him in court.
This discovery led to murder charges being filed against Barksdale, who was already incarcerated and serving a 20-year sentence for a litany of other violent crimes, including attempted murder, carjacking, and armed robbery. The investigation further identified a second individual, Isaiah Emmanuel Irby, who was also implicated in the killing. It is believed that Irby drove Pyles to the secluded parking lot where Barksdale was waiting to carry out the fatal shooting. As a result, Irby was also charged with murder in connection with Pyles's death.
