In the late summer of 1997, a tragedy unfolded in Aiken County, South Carolina, forever altering the lives of many. Esther Sheryl Wood, a 27-year-old woman, was killed on September 15, 1997, in a violent rampage at her workplace. The setting of this horrific event was the R.E. Phelon Co. manufacturing plant, where a former employee returned with a vengeful heart and a deadly weapon.
The perpetrator was identified as Hastings Arthur Wise, a man who had recently been terminated from his
position at the plant. Wise, armed with a semiautomatic pistol, entered the facility during a shift change around 3 p.m. and began shooting. His attack appeared to be targeted, as he sought out individuals he believed were responsible for his dismissal or who had taken jobs he desired. Among his victims was Esther Sheryl Wood, who had recently secured a quality control position that Wise had coveted.
During the assault, Wise shot Wood in the back and leg as she tried to flee. He then approached her and fatally shot her in the head in what prosecutors described as an execution-style killing. Three other employees—David Moore, 30; Charles Griffith, 50; and Ernest L. Filyaw, 31—were also killed in the attack, and three others were wounded before Wise was apprehended. After the shootings, Wise attempted to take his own life by ingesting insecticide but was unsuccessful and was taken into custody by a SWAT team that found him vomiting inside an office.
Hastings Arthur Wise was charged with four counts of murder and other offenses. During his trial, he did not contest his guilt and reportedly showed no remorse for his actions. He was found guilty and sentenced to death for the murders of Esther Sheryl Wood and the three other victims. Wise waived his appeals and was executed by lethal injection in South Carolina on November 4, 2005. The father of Esther Sheryl Wood expressed his disappointment that Wise offered no apology before his execution, stating that he had hoped to hear some expression of remorse.
