A man who investigators said dropped a woman off at an emergency room where she died, led police on a 25 mile chase and then kept officers at bay during a standoff that started Wednesday afternoon and ended late Thursday morning has been charged with murder.
Vondell Malichi, 25, was taken into custody without further incident about 11:45 a.m. after the series of events that started about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
He is accused of killing 20-year-old Takeyia Easterling, whose manner of death was ruled a homicide by Marlboro County Coroner Tim Brown.
Marlboro County Sheriff’s Office investigators indicated Easterling was shot to death, but Brown has not confirmed the cause of her death.
Malichi already in custody of the sheriff’s office for failing to stop for blue light following the chase and almost 19-hour standoff after he stopped in the front yard of a Union Street residence in Bennettsville.
"I am thankful to God that this was a peaceful ending. The suspect didn't get hurt and none of us got hurt,” Marlboro County Chief Deputy Sheriff Charles Lemon said of the surrender. “We just had some long night hours and just lost some sleep but I’d rather lose sleep than anything else.”
The extended standoff and negotiations took place out of caution, Lemon said.
“We just want to make sure that we do everything that we can humanly possibly do to make sure that no one, to include the suspect, gets hurt,” he said.
Lemon did not say why the sheriff’s office refused to release any information about the incident Wednesday beyond mention of a chase and negotiating with a person.
Both the sheriff’s office and Bennettsville police said they would issue press releases about the incident. Neither had done so by 10:15 p.m. Thursday.
Details, such as where the chase began, the relationship between the suspect and victim, a possible motive for the crime and whether the suspect will face additional charges, weren’t provided Thursday. Many messages seeking further comment from both law enforcement agencies weren’t returned Thursday.
S.C. Highway Patrol troopers, State Law Enforcement Division agents, Chesterfield County sheriff’s deputies and S.C. Department of Natural Resources officers are all worked the scene at some point during the standoff.
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