Teen sentenced to life in prison for murder of 75-year-old woman

FLORENCE — An 18-year-old Florence man will spend the rest of his life in prison for murdering a Florence woman after he pleaded guilty to murder and armed robbery before a circuit court judge Wednesday afternoon.

Davon William Reed was sentenced to life in prison on charges that he murdered 75-year-old Geraldine “Jerry” Scott in her King Avenue home June 1, 2007.

Circuit Court Judge Clifton Newman of Kingstree also sentenced Reed to 30 years in prison for armed robbery — the maximum allowed for that charge.

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Davon Reed, 18, pleaded guilty to armed robbery and murder in the death of Geraldine “Jerry” Scott at the Florence City/County Complex on Wednesday, September 3, 2008. Reed was sentenced to 30 years for armed robbery and life for murder with the sentences to be served consecutively. View more images, click here.

Life in prison also is the maximum penalty for the murder charges. He also faced a grand larceny charge in connection with the case but that charge was dropped.

Reed was 17 at the time he committed the murder and that’s the only thing that saved him from facing the death penalty, 12th Circuit Solicitor Ed Clements III said.

He would have pursued the death penalty in the case if the U.S. Supreme Court had not ruled that someone Reed’s age could not face the death penalty, Clements said.

Before handing down his sentence, Newman said Reed’s age really didn’t matter in this case.

“It’s pointless for your mother or anybody else to be here begging for your life,” Newman said “You have committed the most inhumane act known to man ... age is really no consequence, considering what you did.”

Society has nothing left to give Reed and the only thing left to do is lock him up, Newman said.

During the hearing, Clements pointed out Reed had committed similar crimes when he was a juvenile and was on parole when he murdered Scott.

Before he was sentenced, Reed’s mother spoke on his behalf and said it was her fault her son had problems.

She said she was addicted to crack for part of his life and he was shifted around in the state foster care system until he was about 13.

“If I could take his place, I would,” she said. “I feel responsible.”

Reed’s mother said she’s confident her son has repented for his wrongdoing and is confident Scott would have forgiven him.

Reed spoke for himself during the hearing and said he killed Scott after he had just had a fight with his mother and he was stressed and frustrated at the time.

He needed money and picked Scott’s house as a target at random, Reed said.

He entered the home but panicked when he saw Scott, Reed said.

“I didn’t realize what was going on until it was too late,” he said. “It just happened.”

Florence Police Investigator Tim Compton told the court Reed stomped on Scott’s face and stabbed her at least 17 times during a fit of rage.

He then stood over her and threw the knife into her as if it were a dart, Compton said.

Reed later told police he killed Scott because he didn’t want to be identified by her later, Compton said.

After the slaying, he stole Scott’s car, picked up his friends and drove around the city in it, Compton said.

Cathy Scott Hansen, Scott’s daughter, discovered her mother’s body and told the court Wednesday about the horrific scene.

Hansen discovered her mother’s body in her childhood bedroom just a few feet from her bed. Her mother was unrecognizable and the only reason she knew it was her was because of the shoes she was wearing, Hansen said.

“When he killed my mother, he sentenced me to a lifetime of hell, and I beg your honor to give him the same courtesy,” Hansen told Newman through tears.