COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Supreme Court will hold a hearing Wednesday aimed at getting a clearer understanding of the circumstances surrounding the release of convicted killer Jeroid Price from prison 16 years before he served the minimum of a 35 years to life sentence.
Price was serving time after being convicted in the 2002 killing of Carl Smalls at a bar in lower Richland County.
On Tuesday, Smalls' family joined state prosecutors, a host of lawmakers and law enforcement officials in a call for judicial reform.
“Our main goal is we don’t want another family to go through this again," said the victim's father, Carl Smalls.
Smalls' family continues to seek answers in Jeroid Price's early release from prison last month.
“For at least 17 years I would visit the gravesite. I would put out balloons for his birthday. We would put Christmas wreaths out at his gravesite. We were just at a point where we don’t have to do that anymore.”
Price's release has spurred debate because state prosecutors say it shouldn't have happened. The Smalls family is now joining attorneys and law enforcement in the call for reform in the judicial selection process.
“Needless to say the in-chambers secret sealed order attained by a member of the judicial merit selection committee in this case that allowed a cold blooded murder to receive an illegal reduction and release from prison cannot happen in a true justice system," said Solicitor David Pascoe.
On Friday, the state Supreme Court justices ordered that the sealed documents, which allowed Price's release, be made public. Those documents state that Price, while in prison, intervened on two separate occasions to save the lives of two different law enforcement officers.
Todd Rutherford is a state representative and an attorney. He served as Price's attorney at trial and petitioned for his release.
In a court filing with the Supreme Court, Rutherford says the reduction in his client's sentence and release, was done legally, saying Price's actions fall under state code 17-25-65.
The statute allows for the reduction of a defendant's sentence for substantial assistance to the state, including aid to a Department of Corrections employee or volunteer who was in danger of being seriously injured or killed.
"Nothing in the statute prohibits a sentence reduction for murder convictions and the State’s motion to reduce Price’s sentence was properly upheld before the Court," Rutherford said. "The order is valid and should be upheld.”
Solicitor Byron Gipson is not commenting at this time as the matter is pending at the State Supreme Court.