In the small town of Pacolet, South Carolina, a community with a long history tied to the textile mills along the Pacolet River, Clyde Lloyd Camby was living a quiet life. At 79 years old, the male resident shared his home with his sister-in-law, 73-year-old Etta Osteen. Their peaceful existence was brutally shattered on April 3, 1995, in an act of violence that stemmed from a familial connection and a desperate need for drug money.
That Monday, a relative broke into their home with the
sole purpose of robbing them. The intruder was Etta’s 19-year-old great-nephew, Jeffrey Brian Motts. Driven by an addiction to crack cocaine, Motts showed no mercy to his elderly family members. He tied up Mr. Camby and then shot him at close range in the cheek, killing him. His pockets were turned inside out. Etta Osteen was also bound, but she fought for her life. As she tried to escape, despite her legs being tied, Motts shot her in the back. Before leaving, he cut the telephone cord to prevent any calls for help.
The double homicide stunned the small Spartanburg County town. The investigation soon led to Motts, who was arrested and charged with two counts of murder and armed robbery. In 1997, a jury found him guilty of the brutal slayings of his great-aunt and her brother-in-law. For these crimes, Jeffrey Motts was sentenced to two life terms in prison, plus an additional twenty-five years for the armed robbery. He had also been previously convicted of forgery and resisting arrest, for which he received a 16-year sentence.
The story, however, did not end there. While serving his life sentences at the Perry Correctional Institution in Greenville County, Motts’s capacity for violence resurfaced. On December 8, 2005, following a dispute over a stolen radio, he murdered his cellmate, 26-year-old Charles "Chuck" Martin. Motts strangled Martin, dragged his body into a common area, and kicked him, proclaiming, "this is what snitches get." He confessed to the killing just hours later, reportedly telling investigators that a third life sentence would make no difference.
For the murder of Charles Martin, prosecutors sought the death penalty, citing Motts's prior murder convictions as an aggravating circumstance. A jury agreed, and in 2007, he was sentenced to death. Motts waived his right to appeal, stating he was ready to accept his punishment. The South Carolina Supreme Court reviewed the case and found him mentally competent to make that decision.
On May 6, 2011, the day after his 36th birthday, Jeffrey Brian Motts was executed by lethal injection at the Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia. For his last meal, he requested pizza, fried fish, popcorn shrimp, and cherry cheesecake. In a final statement read by his attorney, he wished his mother and grandmother a happy Mother's Day and warned children about the dangers of addiction. "I want to warn kids of the dangers of drugs," his statement read. "I was the child everyone wanted their children around until I got on drugs. Drugs will destroy your life."
The execution brought an end to the violent saga of a serial killer who claimed three lives. For the families of Clyde Camby, Etta Osteen, and Charles Martin, it marked the final chapter in a long and painful journey for justice. Clyde Camby was laid to rest, a quiet man of 79 who became a victim in a tragedy that underscored the devastating reach of drug addiction and violence.
