In March of 2015, the life of 22-year-old Adam Joshua Berry was tragically cut short in a brutal act of retaliatory violence. Berry, a male resident of West Columbia, South Carolina, was reported missing on Wednesday, March 4, 2015. The search for him ended in grim discovery on Saturday, March 7, when his body was found inside a burned vehicle in the town of North, in Orangeburg County.
The remains were so badly burned that it took until Friday, March 13, for the Orangeburg County Coroner to officially identify him.
The investigation into Berry's death revealed a tangled web of events stemming from a previous altercation. Months prior, in May of 2014, a man named Jamie Galloway was killed during a fight with Adam Berry and his younger brother, Nicholas. Following this incident, Adam Berry was charged as an accessory after the fact to murder and was out on bond awaiting trial. This connection proved to be fatal for him.
Michael Sulier III, a close friend of the deceased Jamie Galloway, sought vengeance for his friend's death. Believing Adam Berry to be responsible, Sulier tracked him down to an Extended Stay motel in West Columbia where Berry was staying with his girlfriend. Under the guise of friendship, Sulier gained Berry's trust. On the day of the murder, Sulier convinced Berry to give him a ride. During the car trip, Sulier abducted Berry at gunpoint, shot him, and then drove the car with Berry's body inside to a secluded area in Orangeburg County. There, he set the vehicle on fire in an attempt to conceal the crime.
Authorities quickly identified Michael Sulier III as the primary suspect. He was arrested and charged with the murder of Adam Berry. In May of 2015, Sulier pleaded guilty to the crime and was sentenced to life in prison. In a separate legal proceeding, Nicholas Berry, Adam's younger brother, was convicted in December 2016 for the stabbing death of Jamie Galloway and was sentenced to 40 years in prison. The tragic chain of events left two men dead and two others incarcerated, devastating multiple families in the community.
