On a tragic day in the Andrews area of South Carolina, 52-year-old John David Leone, a White/Caucasian male from Maplewood, New Jersey, was found deceased. His body was discovered on Birch Creek Road on January 28, 2023, the victim of gunshot wounds. Alongside him, first responders also found the body of 30-year-old Kimberly Rowell of Conway, South Carolina; she too had been fatally shot.
The Williamsburg County Sheriff's Office was called to the grim scene after receiving reports of individuals lying in the road.
The investigation into the double homicide quickly revealed a connection to another violent incident that occurred on the same day. Deputies were dispatched to a separate crime scene on Acadian Lane in the Kingstree area. There, they found two more individuals who had also sustained gunshot wounds. These victims were transported to local hospitals for medical treatment. Investigators were able to determine that the two shootings were linked.
As the investigation progressed, authorities identified a suspect in connection with the string of violence that left two dead and two others injured. Lorenzo Cooper, a 36-year-old resident of Kingstree, was arrested for his alleged involvement in the shootings. He is facing a number of serious charges, including two counts of murder for the deaths of John David Leone and Kimberly Rowell. In addition, Cooper was charged with two counts of attempted murder related to the victims found in Kingstree. The charges against him also include two counts of possession of a weapon during a violent crime and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division provided assistance to the Williamsburg County Sheriff's Office throughout the investigation.
