In a tragic turn of events on a June evening in 2015, 24-year-old Candace Leitch Blakley, a female, lost her life in her North Augusta, South Carolina, home. The person responsible was her husband, Matthew Blakley, who at the time was a 23-year-old deputy with the Aiken County Sheriff's Office.
When law enforcement arrived at the couple's residence on Coulter Drive, they were met by a frantic Matthew Blakley, his hands stained with blood.
He identified himself as a deputy and claimed that he had accidentally shot his wife. Inside, officers discovered a grim scene. Candace Blakley was found in a bathtub, bleeding from a fatal gunshot wound to her head. The bathroom held further clues to the evening's turmoil: a rifle, a spent shell casing, and a broken wedding ring were found on the floor. Another man was present in the home and had attempted to perform CPR on Candace, but his efforts were in vain.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Matthew Blakley was taken into custody and subsequently fired from his position as a deputy, a role he had held for just seven months. He was officially charged with involuntary manslaughter. The investigation into the circumstances surrounding Candace's death continued as her family and community mourned her loss. Her funeral was held the following week, and she was laid to rest at Pineview Memorial Park.
Ultimately, the case did not proceed to a full trial. In a resolution to the tragic case, Matthew Blakley pleaded guilty to the charge of involuntary manslaughter in December 2016. Following his plea, he was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in the death of his wife.
