In September of 1976, the life of 18-year-old Gregory L. Becknell was tragically cut short in Columbia, South Carolina. A graduate of Columbia High School, he was described as a strapping, broad-shouldered young man with plans to attend a technical school to become a diesel mechanic. To save money for his education, he was working, delivering surgical supplies.
His parents remembered him as a good-hearted and kind son who never caused any trouble and was a supportive friend to many.
On September 20, 1976, just two days after being paroled from a federal prison, John Edward Swindler, a self-professed Satan worshipper, abducted Becknell and his 18-year-old friend, Dorothy Ann Rhodes. The two teenagers were taken to a remote area where they were both shot in the head. Becknell was found nude, and during later testimony, Swindler admitted to sexually assaulting him.
The investigation led to Swindler, who was subsequently arrested. During his trial, a jury took less than three hours to convict him of the kidnapping and murders of both Gregory Becknell and Dorothy Ann Rhodes. At the time of the murders, South Carolina's death penalty law had been overturned, so Swindler could not be sentenced to death in that state. Instead, he received four consecutive life sentences for the kidnappings and murders of the two teenagers.
Following his conviction in South Carolina, Swindler was sent to Arkansas to face charges for the murder of a police officer, Randy Basnett, which occurred during a robbery in Fort Smith, Arkansas, shortly after the murders of Becknell and Rhodes. He was convicted of this crime and sentenced to death. On June 18, 1990, John Edward Swindler was executed in Varner, Arkansas, for the murder of Officer Basnett.
