Suspect named in Hartsville seed store slaying

HARTSVILLE—Police have identified a suspect in connection with the Monday night slaying of 57 year-old Keith Hoyle Hancock of Hartsville.

Hancock, 57 was killed after what appeared to be a robbery attempt at the business, Hartsville Police Chief Tim Kemp said.

It appeared Hancock had been beaten with an axe handle.

The man police identified as the suspect, Eddie Anthony Huggins, is wanted for murder and robbery, Kemp said. He is a 39 year-old black male that is 5’8 and weighs 175 pounds.

A few people who knew Hancock saw lights on about 8:30 p.m. Monday at the store, located at 317 Railroad Ave. in downtown Hartsville, Kemp said. That was unusual, so they went inside, found Hancock lying on the floor and called 911.

Gardner’s Fertilizer & Farm Supplies has been robbed several times in the past, most recently in November 2007, Kemp said. It also was the target of several break-ins, which is why the surveillance system had been installed. The business is near the S.C. Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics, Coker College and Hartsville City Hall.

The footage from the surveillance system can be viewed online at http://www.hartsvillesc.com/Press.avi.

Hancock’s death is Hartsville’s first homicide this year, and its fifth in five years, the chief said.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the police department at (843) 383-3013 or Crime Stoppers of the Pee Dee at (843) 667-TIPS (8477) or (866) 369-TIPS (8477). Callers need not reveal their identities.