In the quiet community of Anderson, South Carolina, a violent incident shattered the morning peace, leaving two men dead and another wounded. One of the victims was Rona Paul McGirt, a 59-year-old male. His life, along with that of 22-year-old Christian Woods, was tragically cut short by gunfire.
The events unfolded on Quinn Street in Anderson County.
On the morning of March 13, 2025, a man stumbled out of a residence, bleeding from a gunshot wound to his face, and desperately sought help from passersby. Anderson County deputies were dispatched to the scene at approximately 7:45 a.m. Upon entering the home, they made a grim discovery: the bodies of Rona Paul McGirt and Christian Woods. The preliminary investigation by the Anderson County Coroner's Office determined that both men had died from gunshot wounds and ruled their deaths as homicides.
The investigation into the double homicide quickly pointed to a suspect. Authorities arrested 55-year-old Darren Demetrius Martin in connection with the killings. Investigators believe the shooting stemmed from an argument. Martin was subsequently charged with two counts of murder for the deaths of McGirt and Woods, one count of attempted murder for the surviving victim, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
Following his arrest, Darren Demetrius Martin appeared in bond court on March 14, 2025. The judge set a bond of $10,000 for the weapon possession charge and a $50,000 bond for the attempted murder charge. As a condition of his release on these charges, the court ordered him to have no contact with the man who survived the shooting. However, Martin was denied bond on the murder charges and remains incarcerated pending a future court date to address those allegations. The community has been left to grapple with the sudden and violent loss of two of its members as the legal process against the accused begins.
