Do you know who murdered 44 year old Terry \Dale\ Fetter in 2000? In the quiet city of Greenville, South Carolina, the life of Terry Dale Fetner, a 44-year-old man, was brought to a brutal and untimely end on the evening of November 26, 2000. Fetner, a recently divorced contractor and owner of a business called Renovations by Dale, was viciously attacked and stabbed multiple times at the doorstep of his own apartment in the Azalea Hills complex.
He had just returned from a day of working on a mountain home he was building in Saluda, North Carolina.
The scene of the crime painted a grim picture of a violent struggle. Fetner was discovered by a neighbor lying facedown in a pool of his own blood between 8:00 and 8:15 p.m. He had sustained fifteen stab wounds to his face, chest, abdomen, and lower back. Defensive wounds on his hands and arms were a silent testament to his desperate fight for life. The coroner later estimated the time of death to be around 7:50 p.m. Near his body, investigators found a bag from Arby's, where he had stopped for dinner around 6:30 p.m., along with his keys.
Robbery did not appear to be the motive, as Fetner's wallet, keys, and work van were all left untouched at the scene. This led investigators to believe the attack was planned and personal. A few months prior to his murder, in July 2000, a suspicious fire had damaged Fetner's home on Bennett Street, forcing him to move into the Azalea Hills apartment. Investigators have considered a possible link between the arson and his murder, but no definitive connection has been established.
Despite an extensive investigation that has spanned over two decades, the murder of Terry Dale Fetner remains an unsolved cold case. Police interviewed hundreds of people due to Fetner's numerous personal and business contacts, but no suspect has ever been named. Over the years, DNA evidence has been collected and tested, but it has not yet led to a breakthrough in the case. A significant reward of $50,000 was offered in the days following the murder for information leading to an arrest, but it has gone unclaimed. The Greenville Police Department continues to classify his death as a homicide with an unknown motive and encourages anyone with information to come forward as they continue to seek justice for Terry Dale Fetner.
