In the late summer of 2014, a Greenville, South Carolina man's life was cut short in what authorities would later describe as a senseless act of violence. Richard Thomas Ellison, a 53-year-old male, was working as a security guard at a vacant textile plant on Hollingsworth Drive. During his shift on the night of August 28th, or the early morning hours of August 29th, he and his colleague, 65-year-old Bobby Wayne Wood, were fatally shot.
A newspaper carrier discovered their bodies outside the guard house, launching a double homicide investigation. The initial days of the investigation yielded few leads, leaving a community in fear and two families in mourning.
The case took a dramatic and violent turn a few days later. On September 1st, police were called to a home on Augusta Court in Greenville, where they found 58-year-old Gregory Thomas Jones shot to death. The suspect was identified as his 23-year-old stepson, Evan Casey Bennett. It was soon discovered that Bennett was also the prime suspect in the killings of Ellison and Wood. Family members had confronted Bennett about his possible involvement in the security guards' murders, which led to him fatally shooting his stepfather.
After murdering his stepfather, Bennett, armed and wearing a tactical vest, drove to the Greenville County Law Enforcement Center. There, he opened fire on the building and shot and wounded a police officer. The violent spree concluded when Bennett turned the gun on himself, ending his own life. Investigators later revealed that a badge belonging to one of the murdered security guards was found in Bennett's room, solidifying the link between the crimes.
Authorities labeled the initial murders of Richard Ellison and Bobby Wood as a 'senseless thrill killing.' It was reported that Bennett had spent time on the Hollingsworth property in the past and had made statements about watching the security guards. He had a history of mental health problems and a prior stalking charge. With the suspect deceased, the legal proceedings in the case of Richard Thomas Ellison's death came to a grim and abrupt end, leaving behind a trail of tragedy and unanswered questions about what motivated the young man's deadly rampage.
