On a tragic day in Aiken, South Carolina, 56-year-old Charles Griffeth, a white male, lost his life in a senseless act of violence. The date was September 15, 1997, and the setting was the R.E. Phelon Company, a lawn mower parts factory where Griffeth served as the personnel director. The events of that day would leave a lasting scar on the community and end the lives of four innocent people.
The perpetrator was Hastings Arthur Wise, a disgruntled former employee of the factory.
Wise had been terminated from his position as a machine operator in July of that year following a confrontation with a supervisor, a dismissal he reportedly believed was racially motivated. On that September morning, under the guise of collecting his personal belongings, Wise returned to the factory with a firearm, intent on revenge.
Wise made his way to the personnel office where he encountered Charles Griffeth, the man who had carried out his termination. It was there that Wise shot Griffeth twice in the back, ending his life. The rampage did not stop there. Wise proceeded through the factory, fatally shooting three other employees: David Moore, Leonard Filyaw, and Sheryl Wood. The mass shooting sent shockwaves of fear and grief through the quiet southern town.
Following the horrific events, Hastings Arthur Wise was apprehended by law enforcement and faced the full weight of the justice system. He was charged with four counts of murder, among other charges. During his trial, Wise did not contest his guilt and reportedly refused to have witnesses testify on his behalf, seemingly accepting his fate. He was subsequently convicted of all four murders and sentenced to death. On November 4, 2005, Hastings Arthur Wise was executed by lethal injection for the lives he had taken, bringing a somber end to a painful chapter for the families of the victims and the community of Aiken.
