SUMTER COUNTY, S.C. — A man who killed an accomplice in a South Carolina robbery and buried his body twice as he tried to keep anyone from finding it has been sentenced to 35 years in prison.
Stephen Stinnette's sentence also includes time for orchestrating a July fire and riot at the Sumter County jail that he used as a diversion to escape for about seven hours.
The Sumter Item reports the 32-year-old man took a deal Wednesday and pleaded guilty to murder, prison escape and other charges.
Prosecutors said Stinnette shot 24-year-old Jerry Johnson eight times in the head in April 2018 after they committed a robbery together in Sumter County.
Johnson was reported missing on April 24, and a day later, a fisherman found his body in a cove near Indian Bluff Park in Lake Marion in Orangeburg County.
Investigators say Stinnette buried and dug up Johnson's body twice before trying to sink it in Lake Marion.
Four other people have been charged with accessory after the fact in the case: 57-year-old Lisa Avins, 36-year-old Kimberly McFaddin Mcleod, 32-year-old Anthony Dustin Dill, and 36-year-old Andrew Thomas Scurry.
Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis said those four had knowledge of the crime, and assisted with the moving of the body.
Avins is Stinnette's mother.
Stinnette was originally arrested in May 2018 after a brief chase.
Deputies put out a "be on the lookout" bulletin for him after he was spotted in the Two Notch Road/Parklane Road area in Richland County.
However, less than 20 minutes later, they announced he was in custody.
In July 2019, he escaped briefly from the Sumter County Detention Center during a riot.
According to Sumter County Sheriff spokesperson Adrienne Stavis, Stephen Stinnette escaped after a riot at the detention center when an inmate set a mattress on fire July 25th around 7 p.m.
Officials say, as correctional officers were taking the inmates out of their cells to avoid the smoke, a riot ensued and Stinnette was able to escape over the fence.
According to Sheriff Dennis, a few inmates escaped to the outdoor recreation area. Three correction officers suffered minor injuries.
Sheriff Dennis believes that the escape may have been planned and that Stinnette may have been the "mastermind."
Stinnette was caught about a mile from the detention center on August 2 around 4:45 a.m., according to deputies. He had minor injuries from climbing the fence and might have been bitten by a snake.
Officials say he was hiding in a vacant home.
After his escape, the county did a reverse 911 call to homes in the community to alert them.
