In the quiet town of Lincolnville, South Carolina, a dedicated public servant, 67-year-old State Constable Robert Lee Bailey, tragically lost his life on the night of May 14, 2007. A veteran of law enforcement with 43 years of service, Bailey was assisting the small Lincolnville Police Department when he conducted a fateful traffic stop on Greenwood Street. Unbeknownst to him, the vehicle he pulled over carried individuals who would abruptly and violently end his watch.
During the stop of a 1989 Chevrolet Caprice, a struggle broke out, and Constable Bailey was shot multiple times. After the shooting, his assailants took his body and his patrol car, leaving behind a grim scene that included his cap, two pistols, shell casings, and a significant amount of blood. An hour later, his squad car was discovered engulfed in flames about five miles away. For five agonizing days, law enforcement and the community searched for the missing constable. The search came to a heartbreaking end when his body was found in a shallow grave in Orangeburg County, approximately 50 miles from where he was last seen.
The investigation into Constable Bailey's murder led to the swift apprehension of five individuals. Walter Fayall and his girlfriend, Asia Prioleau, were identified as being in the vehicle Bailey had stopped. Both were charged with murder. Three others, Brian Smalls, Jerome Washington, and Asia Arlene O'Neil, were charged as accessories after the fact for their roles in helping to move and conceal Bailey's body and for burning his patrol car and the suspects' vehicle.
The legal process that followed brought some measure of justice for the heinous crime. On February 9, 2010, Walter Fayall was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Asia Prioleau and the other three individuals also faced convictions for their involvement in the events that transpired after Constable Bailey's death, receiving prison sentences for their crimes. The resolution of the case closed a painful chapter for the community and the family of a man who had dedicated his life to protecting others.
