For his mother, Kathy Spain, not a day goes by that she doesn’t think about or talk about her only son, Derek Christopher Spain. His absence created a void that has never been filled, a missing piece in the heart of their family. Derek, a 20-year-old male, was on the cusp of his life, a young father to a daughter he would never have the chance to meet. His future was stolen in a sudden, senseless act of violence that also claimed the life of his friend.
Just after midnight, in the early moments of September 2, 2007, Derek was with 20-year-old Jason Carroll outside the Ames Manor Apartments in Columbia, South Carolina. The two friends were standing and talking in front of building 7 at the complex, located at 5779 Ames Road. At 12:02 a.m., their conversation was shattered by gunfire. An unknown male attacker stepped out from the corner of the building and opened fire on them without any warning. The ambush was swift and brutal.
Derek was struck in the head, and Jason was shot in the heart.
In the chaos that followed, Jason managed to run up a flight of stairs before collapsing. His sister, Mariah Carroll, held him in her arms as he took his last breath. "I didn't even get a chance to say I love him," she later recalled. Derek was grievously wounded and died the following day. The sudden loss devastated two families, leaving them with questions that have echoed for more than a decade. "My heart is so full right now and I just want closure," Jason's mother, Isabella Carroll, said in a 2015 interview. "I wan't to know why, why would you kill two boys, why?"
The investigation into the double homicide, assigned case number 07-29089, was launched by the Columbia Police Department. Investigators were faced with a crime that was as baffling as it was violent. The shooting happened late at night with no apparent confrontation or motive. The killer seemed to appear from the shadows, commit the murders, and vanish just as quickly. The darkness provided cover, making a clean getaway easy.
Over the years, tips have been limited. Investigators have spoken with witnesses who described the shooter as a Black male with a medium build, wearing a white t-shirt and possibly a baseball cap. This description, however, is too vague to narrow the search for a suspect. Columbia Police investigator Mark Vincent, speaking about the case in 2015, noted the challenges and the ongoing efforts to find new leads. Cold case investigators often re-examine witness statements and evidence, hoping that new witnesses will come forward or that old ones will feel newly compelled to share what they know.
For the mothers of Derek Spain and Jason Carroll, the years have done little to dull the pain. They have had to endure holidays, birthdays, and milestones without their sons. "It's not a day goes by that he don't cross my mind," Kathy Spain said of Derek. "There's a big part of our life that's missing." The fact that her son left behind a daughter, who was seven years old in 2015, adds another layer of tragedy. She has had to grow up without her father, another life forever altered by the unsolved crime.
As of August 2015, the Columbia Police Department was still actively seeking information to bring justice to the families of Derek Spain and Jason Carroll. The case remains listed as an unsolved double murder on the department's cold case page. The families hold onto hope that someone, somewhere, knows what happened that night and will finally come forward. "You don't know what you did to this family," Kathy Spain said, addressing the unknown killer. "You just kind of destroyed us."
Anyone with information regarding the murders of Derek Spain and Jason Carroll is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.
