Lawshe pleads not guilty in 2007 Litchfield murder

The death penalty case against 34-year-old Shane Earl Lawshe moves forward as Lawshe’s defense attorneys and prosecutors met with a circuit court judge Wednesday in a Georgetown County courtroom.

At the hearing, prosecutors arraigned Lawshe on murder, rape, arson, kidnapping, and burglary charges stemming from the Oct. 2007 murder of 63-year-old Juli Blakeley inside her Litchfield Beach home.

Lawshe’s death penalty trial is tentatively set for March of 2009, according to 15th Circuit Deputy Solicitor Fran Humphries.

Lawshe also faces burglary charges from burglaries at two separate Georgetown County businesses on September 26, 2007.

At the arraignment Lawshe pleaded not guilty to all charges and when the clerk asked how he’s like to be tried he replied, “Before God and my country.”

In January, the state appointed circuit court judge James Williams of Orangeburg to preside over the death penalty trial.

A second attorney was assigned to represent Lawshe back in June.

Myrtle Beach attorney Natasha Hanna is assigned as the second defense lawyer, according to the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

Hanna is an attorney with the Hearn, Brittain and Martin law firm in Myrtle Beach.

Hanna joins attorney, Tommy Brittain who will lead the defense for Lawshe.

Georgetown County authorities found dead inside her home back in September after investigators said someone killed her, then set fire to the home.

County coroner Kenny Johnson said Blakeley had wounds to the back of her head and the back of her neck.

Investigators confirmed later that Blakeley was sexually assaulted before her death.

Authorities later named Lawshe a suspect in the case after investigators learned that Lawshe was at the Blakeley home doing repair work for Cox Painting of Georgetown County, and found evidence that linked Lawshe to the killing, according to investigators.

Authorities spent several days searching for Lawshe until a motorist heard a news broadcast on the radio about the search for the suspected killer and spotted the vehicle investigators said Lawshe would be driving at the Little River swing bridge.

On Oct. 3, 2007, North Myrtle Beach police arrested Lawshe at the bridge.

Lawshe returned to Georgetown County where on Oct. 25, 2007 Lawshe and his attorney asked a circuit court judge to not set bond on him.

Lawshe faces murder, arson, criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping, and burglary charges in connection to Blakeley’s murder.

In March, investigators also charged Lawshe in connection to several other burglaries in Georgetown County.

On June 18, Blakeley’s son, Clay Thornton, filed a wrongful death suit in Georgetown County civil court against Lawshe and the painting company he worked for, according to county records.

Prosecutors served Lawshe with notice they plan to seek the death penalty if a jury finds him guilty of the charges against him.

If convicted and sentenced to death, Lawshe would join one other Georgetown County resident, Stephen Stanko, on South Carolina’s death row.

You can count on News13 to continue to follow this trial as it moves forward.