In a tragic turn of events, 65-year-old Charles Wilburn Presler, a local business owner from Rock Hill, South Carolina, was killed on May 21, 2025. His death was the culmination of a violent rampage that began with a domestic dispute. The man responsible, Roger Ledell Baskins, who was 52 at the time and had ties to both Lancaster and Charlotte, was apprehended shortly after the incident.
The events leading to Presler's death began on the afternoon of May 21st at a residence on Memorial
Park Road in Lancaster, where Baskins was staying with family. An argument escalated, leading Baskins to threaten a family member with a pistol. He then fired shots into a relative's car and smashed the windows of two other vehicles with a car battery before fleeing the scene on foot. Family members located Baskins on Willow Lake Road and alerted the police.
Following the domestic incident, concern grew for Charles Presler's welfare when his wife was unable to reach him by phone. This prompted a welfare check at his business, also located on Memorial Park Road. Tragically, deputies discovered Presler deceased inside his shop from an apparent gunshot wound. Investigators believe Baskins went to Presler's business about an hour after the initial family dispute.
When law enforcement apprehended Baskins, he was driving a burgundy 1997 Toyota 4-Runner that belonged to Presler. He was also in possession of documents belonging to the victim, and a pistol was recovered from the vehicle. Evidence suggested that Presler had been robbed before he was killed. Shell casings found at the scene of the murder matched the firearm found in the stolen vehicle.
Roger Ledell Baskins faced a host of charges, including murder, armed robbery, burglary, grand larceny, and multiple weapons offenses. He was also charged in connection with the earlier domestic incident. A judge denied him bail following his arrest. Ultimately, Baskins pleaded guilty to murder in Lancaster County General Sessions Court and was sentenced to 50 years in prison.
