On a summer morning in North Charleston, South Carolina, the life of 25-year-old Samuel Coardes was tragically cut short. On July 12, 2014, Coardes, a Black male, was fatally shot in front of a convenience store on Spruill Avenue. The incident, captured on the store's surveillance footage, would quickly lead investigators to a suspect who was surprisingly familiar to the victim's family.
The video evidence was crucial in the North Charleston Police Department's investigation, allowing
for the prompt identification and arrest of Tyrone Malcolm Benn later that same day. Benn, also of North Charleston, was charged with murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. According to Coardes' family, the accused killer had been a friend to the victim before the fatal encounter, making the loss even more profound.
In April 2016, a Charleston County jury found Tyrone Malcolm Benn guilty of the murder of Samuel Coardes. During the trial, the prosecution presented the damning surveillance video and introduced an incriminating telephone call Benn made from jail. Prosecutors also argued that Benn had attempted to destroy evidence by washing himself with bleach, a scent detected by police at the time of his arrest. Following the conviction, a judge sentenced Benn to life in prison for the murder, with a concurrent five-year sentence for the weapons charge, bringing a measure of judicial closure to the family and community shaken by the violent act.
