In a tragic turn of events that stunned the North Augusta community, 21-year-old Brandon Hewlett was killed on January 19, 2014, in his family's home. A promising student of electrical engineering at the University of South Carolina in Columbia/Midland Technical College, Brandon was a lifelong resident of North Augusta and a 2011 graduate of Aquinas High School.
He was known for his involvement in the university's Fishing and Disc Golf Teams.
The grim discovery was made by his mother, Denise Moyer Hewlett, who returned home to find both her son and her husband, 52-year-old Garth S. Hewlett, deceased. The subsequent investigation by the North Augusta police and the Aiken County Coroner's Office concluded that the incident was a murder-suicide. It was determined that Garth Hewlett had fatally shot his son, Brandon, before taking his own life.
The motive behind the tragic actions of Garth Hewlett, an E & I Planner with Savannah River Nuclear Solutions and a member of the North Augusta Boating Club, was reported to be a family dispute that had escalated. The investigation confirmed this sequence of events, and as the perpetrator was also deceased, there were no arrests or suspects sought in connection with Brandon's death. The community was left to mourn the loss of a young man and grapple with the shocking circumstances of his passing. Funeral services for Brandon were held at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church, with his final resting place at Pineview Memorial Park.
