In the summer of 2014, a tragic series of events unfolded in Lancaster, South Carolina, culminating in the death of 48-year-old James Hood. On a Tuesday night in June, police were called to the Caroline Court apartments where they discovered Hood's body in his bedroom, the victim of a fatal gunshot wound. The grim discovery was made by his own family members who arrived home to the horrific scene.
The man responsible for Hood's death was identified as his brother-in-law, Jermaine
Demarcus Grier, who was 29 at the time. Grier, who had been at Hood's home since that morning, confronted and held his own family members at gunpoint when they returned. A struggle ensued, allowing the family to escape to a neighbor's apartment and contact the authorities. The motive for the initial shooting of James Hood was not immediately made clear by investigators.
After leaving the scene of the first crime, Grier's violent rampage continued. He went to a nearby residence on West Brooklyn Avenue where he got into an argument with a 27-year-old female relative. The confrontation escalated, and Grier fired shots at her inside the house. The woman fled, but Grier pursued her, eventually assaulting her in the yard of an adjacent home. The 49-year-old owner of that home came to the woman's aid, allowing her to take refuge inside. When Grier attempted to follow her into the house, a physical altercation broke out between him and the homeowner. The homeowner, armed with a gun, shot Grier in the abdomen as he advanced towards him.
Law enforcement arrived to find Grier injured on the front porch and recovered a handgun believed to be his nearby. He was transported to a hospital in critical condition and placed under police guard. The homeowner who shot Grier was not charged, with the local sheriff citing the 'Castle Doctrine' in a clear case of defending his home and the female victim. Grier was subsequently charged with murder for the death of James Hood, as well as attempted murder and first-degree burglary for the subsequent events.
In April of 2021, justice was served for the family of James Hood. After a trial in Lancaster County, Jermaine Demarcus Grier, then 35, was found guilty of murder, attempted murder, burglary, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. The jury's verdict led to a lengthy sentence of 100 years in prison. The sentences for the various charges were set to run consecutively, ensuring that Grier would spend the remainder of his life behind bars for the violent acts that took the life of his brother-in-law.
