Ron Dale Riggins, a 34-year-old Black man, was a father and life partner living in the community of Loris, South Carolina. According to his family, he shared his life with Sherelda S. Grate and was a father to four children: daughters Ron'Dazia Riggins and Ra'Nayia Grate, and sons Ron Dale Riggins, Jr., and Ronrizquez Riggins. His life was brought to a violent end in his own home in late 2023.
On the night of Friday, December 15, 2023, just after 11 p.m., Horry County police officers
responded to a shooting at Mr. Riggins’ residence on Kingcrest Drive. When they arrived, a woman outside the home directed them inside, telling them, “He is inside.” The officers entered and found Mr. Riggins lying on his back. He had been shot several times and had no pulse. His death was later ruled a homicide.
The Horry County Police Department’s investigation soon revealed that the crime was not a random act. Investigators recovered a cell phone at the scene that belonged to Franklin Donte' Lemar Vereen-Price, 25. A forensic examination of the device uncovered messages between Vereen-Price and another man, 24-year-old Sean Louis Page, in which they were allegedly planning to rob Mr. Riggins. Further evidence, including a witness who saw Vereen-Price at the home before and after the shooting and phone records showing Page traveling to the location that night, solidified them as the primary suspects.
Both men were already in jail on unrelated charges when they were arrested in connection with the case. In February 2024, authorities announced that Vereen-Price and Page had been charged with murder and burglary. The case went to trial, and in October 2024, the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office announced the outcome. Both Sean Page and Franklin Vereen-Price were found guilty of murder, first-degree burglary, and criminal conspiracy. A judge sentenced both men to life in prison.
