WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.560 --> 00:00:05.599 Southern Fried true crime covers cases that are not suitable for young listeners, and 2 00:00:05.639 --> 00:00:13.839 there may also be some explicit language used. Listener discretion is advised. Graduating 3 00:00:13.839 --> 00:00:18.320 from high school is one of those pivotal milestones that brings with it a mix 4 00:00:18.359 --> 00:00:24.760 of competing emotions excitement for what's coming next, uncertainty for the future, sadness 5 00:00:24.879 --> 00:00:29.640 at leaving some things behind, or perhaps relief to be moving on to adulthood. 6 00:00:30.920 --> 00:00:34.479 Most of all, to use a well worn cliche, there's the knowledge 7 00:00:34.479 --> 00:00:38.560 that the world is your oyster. Whether you're straight off to college, heading 8 00:00:38.600 --> 00:00:42.600 into the workforce, or traveling to see a bit of the world. Knowing 9 00:00:42.600 --> 00:00:46.320 the rest of your life is ahead of you is incredibly liberating, if a 10 00:00:46.359 --> 00:00:51.159 little scary. And that sounds like such a long time the rest of your 11 00:00:51.200 --> 00:00:56.679 life. At that age, the decades yawned before you. It felt like 12 00:00:56.719 --> 00:01:00.560 it took forever to grow up, so you have no idea how fast the 13 00:01:00.600 --> 00:01:04.159 next years will fly. In late May of nineteen ninety three, eighteen year 14 00:01:04.159 --> 00:01:11.120 old Charlotte Childs was standing at this great starting line of life. As the 15 00:01:11.200 --> 00:01:15.040 eldest of her siblings, she was the first to graduate high school and was 16 00:01:15.079 --> 00:01:19.000 already a mature young woman, juggling her studies with a busy social life and 17 00:01:19.040 --> 00:01:23.280 her job at a bank. She was also a young woman who was probably 18 00:01:23.280 --> 00:01:29.079 feeling some relief to leave part of her life behind. She had just made 19 00:01:29.159 --> 00:01:34.920 a big change, breaking up with her toxic boyfriend. But Charlotte wasn't down. 20 00:01:34.319 --> 00:01:40.079 She was buoyant, enjoying being swept up in all the pre graduation events 21 00:01:40.400 --> 00:01:45.799 being held for her alma mater, Holy Hill Academy. She was especially looking 22 00:01:45.840 --> 00:01:49.359 forward to the big day and celebrating with her friends. The thought that she 23 00:01:49.439 --> 00:01:53.439 might never make it to the podium to receive her diploma was the furthest thing 24 00:01:53.519 --> 00:02:01.840 from her mind. Welcome to Episode two seventeen, The Murder of Charlotte Child's. 25 00:02:04.239 --> 00:02:07.799 It was a cloudy but pleasant late spring evening on May twenty seventh, 26 00:02:07.959 --> 00:02:13.199 nineteen ninety three, one high school senior Charlotte Child's hopped into her red Chevy 27 00:02:13.240 --> 00:02:17.639 Geo Storm. She was heading off to a pre graduation get together and the 28 00:02:17.680 --> 00:02:23.719 small town of Holly Hill, Orangeburg County and South Carolina, which was home 29 00:02:23.719 --> 00:02:29.599 to around fifteen hundred people. The eldest of three children, Charlotte Caroline Childs 30 00:02:29.800 --> 00:02:34.719 was born January thirty first, nineteen seventy five, and Simpsonville, South Carolina. 31 00:02:35.919 --> 00:02:39.039 In May of ninety three. Her younger sister was fourteen and her little 32 00:02:39.039 --> 00:02:45.479 brother was around eight years old. By her eighteenth birthday, Charlotte and her 33 00:02:45.520 --> 00:02:49.759 family were living on Root one in the hamlet of Vance, just eight miles 34 00:02:49.800 --> 00:02:54.439 north of Holly Hill, where Charlotte attended school. The tiny town of Vance 35 00:02:54.599 --> 00:03:00.520 where she lived, was first incorporated in eighteen ninety one, and in the 36 00:03:00.560 --> 00:03:04.919 early nineteen nineties it had about two hundred residents. It's down to around one 37 00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:10.240 hundred and fifty these days. Everyone in Charlotte's life knew her as a sweet, 38 00:03:10.479 --> 00:03:15.280 cheerful young woman with a strong work ethic. She was popular and vibrant 39 00:03:15.879 --> 00:03:21.400 and committed to her Baptist faith. She was also a very ambitious young woman, 40 00:03:21.759 --> 00:03:25.360 involved in the South Carolina organ Procurement Association, as well as working after 41 00:03:25.400 --> 00:03:30.879 school at the First National Bank in Holly Hill, and she attended the teen 42 00:03:30.960 --> 00:03:37.719 class of Emmanuel Free Baptist Church of Santee. When it came to their oldest 43 00:03:37.759 --> 00:03:43.560 daughter's social life, John and June Childs completely trusted Charlotte. She was mature 44 00:03:43.639 --> 00:03:49.199 and responsible, and by now her parents didn't wait up for her. She 45 00:03:49.319 --> 00:03:53.840 had her own transportation and they were confident she would get home safely after a 46 00:03:53.960 --> 00:04:00.080 night out. By this time, Charlotte was enjoying being single again. A 47 00:04:00.080 --> 00:04:02.599 few weeks earlier, she had broken up with her boyfriend of two years, 48 00:04:02.960 --> 00:04:09.120 twenty year old Scott Atkinson. Charlotte had things to do and was too young 49 00:04:09.159 --> 00:04:13.960 to be tied down then, and she had darker reasons for ending the relationship 50 00:04:14.319 --> 00:04:20.160 that not everyone knew about. When the pregraduation party ended, Charlotte and her 51 00:04:20.199 --> 00:04:24.720 best friend jumped in her Geo Storm to go home. She was giving her 52 00:04:24.759 --> 00:04:30.360 friend a ride that night. After dropping her friend off around one thirty am 53 00:04:30.360 --> 00:04:33.759 in the tiny nearby town of Utahville, Charlotte headed for home. It was 54 00:04:33.800 --> 00:04:39.839 only six miles away. She should have been home in about ten minutes, 55 00:04:41.079 --> 00:04:45.279 but hours later, as dawn was breaking, John and June were awoken by 56 00:04:45.319 --> 00:04:50.560 the phone ringing Charlotte was in the hospital at the Regional Medical Center in Orangeburg 57 00:04:50.680 --> 00:04:57.600 and she was hurt bad. She was unconscious. The person calling said they 58 00:04:57.600 --> 00:05:02.519 weren't sure how Charlotte had come to sustain her injury. At four fifty five 59 00:05:02.560 --> 00:05:08.560 am, a young man had walked into the emergency room department carrying a naked, 60 00:05:08.680 --> 00:05:14.800 bloodied, and unconscious Charlotte over his shoulder, locating an empty wheelchair, 61 00:05:15.160 --> 00:05:18.199 he sat Charlotte down and went to walk out of the hospital, but he 62 00:05:18.279 --> 00:05:25.040 was stopped by security. Why would anyone abandon a young woman like that without 63 00:05:25.040 --> 00:05:30.000 alerting medical staff and explaining what had happened? Obviously, there's no good reason, 64 00:05:31.639 --> 00:05:34.839 and this young man was pretty short on details. When he spoke to 65 00:05:34.879 --> 00:05:40.160 security, he told them she was just an acquaintance of his and that he 66 00:05:40.160 --> 00:05:43.199 had been driving home that night when he found her lying by the side of 67 00:05:43.240 --> 00:05:47.040 the road naked and beaten. He claimed he had no idea what had happened 68 00:05:47.079 --> 00:05:53.839 to her. As doctors continued their assessment of the young woman, it became 69 00:05:53.920 --> 00:05:57.519 clear that she had not been in some kind of accident. She had been 70 00:05:57.639 --> 00:06:01.399 violently beaten, and not just with someone's fists, but with a hard object. 71 00:06:02.639 --> 00:06:08.600 Security contacted the Orangeboro County Sheriff's office, and Lieutenant Grady Fulmer and Deputy 72 00:06:08.680 --> 00:06:13.399 Randy Clark drove out to the hospital. When they arrived, they spoke to 73 00:06:13.399 --> 00:06:16.839 the young man who had brought Charlotte into the hospital. He was twenty year 74 00:06:16.839 --> 00:06:21.600 old Holly Hill resident Daniel Scott Atkinson, who went by his middle name Scott. 75 00:06:23.920 --> 00:06:27.439 He gave the officers pretty much the same details he had provided to medical 76 00:06:27.439 --> 00:06:33.199 staff, but right off things didn't sit right with his story. Lieutenant Fulmer 77 00:06:33.240 --> 00:06:39.040 and Deputy Clark were suspicious enough of Scott's story to put in a call requesting 78 00:06:39.079 --> 00:06:44.360 the assistance of Sheriff's detective Larry Williams. When he arrived at the medical center 79 00:06:44.480 --> 00:06:48.480 around seven to twenty am, he observed Scott standing near Charlotte's Geo Storm, 80 00:06:48.639 --> 00:06:54.319 which was parked near the entrance to the hospital. Detective Williams did a quick 81 00:06:54.360 --> 00:06:58.639 once over of the vehicle. A rifle lay in the trunk and the car 82 00:06:58.680 --> 00:07:04.439 had obvious bloodstains and loose hairs. Scott explained to Detective Williams that the evening 83 00:07:04.480 --> 00:07:10.519 before, he and Charlotte had been hanging out at a friend's place. Scott 84 00:07:10.560 --> 00:07:14.279 said he didn't stay the whole time and took off to go have some beers 85 00:07:14.319 --> 00:07:18.839 elsewhere. Around midnight, he claimed he saw Charlotte driving around town with friends. 86 00:07:19.639 --> 00:07:24.040 He said he then drove to her house and she arrived home around the 87 00:07:24.040 --> 00:07:30.000 same time. And he claimed that he and Charlotte had sex. Scott told 88 00:07:30.000 --> 00:07:32.480 the detective he then left at around one thirty or two in the morning to 89 00:07:32.519 --> 00:07:38.480 go get gas. Upon arriving back at Charlotte's house, he said he found 90 00:07:38.480 --> 00:07:43.399 her sitting in the driver's seat of the Geo Storm covered in blood. Panicked, 91 00:07:43.759 --> 00:07:46.519 Scott moved to Charlotte, whom he now admitted was his ex girlfriend, 92 00:07:47.000 --> 00:07:53.360 and to the other seat and drove her to the hospital to Detective Williams. 93 00:07:53.680 --> 00:07:58.319 Something was immediately off with Scott's story. The detective decided to take him to 94 00:07:58.360 --> 00:08:05.199 the Orangeburg Calhoun Lawlaw Enforcement Complex for further questioning. There, Scott waved his 95 00:08:05.240 --> 00:08:09.360 Miranda rights and gave a written statement. He nervously proceeded to tell the detective 96 00:08:09.759 --> 00:08:15.480 that the previous evening he had been drinking and was so intoxicated that he ran 97 00:08:15.519 --> 00:08:22.120 his nineteen eighty seven Ford Mustang into a ditch near Charlotte's house. Just as 98 00:08:22.120 --> 00:08:24.839 Scott was wondering what to do, Charlotte came along on her way home for 99 00:08:24.920 --> 00:08:30.360 the night. When he explained what had happened, she drove him back to 100 00:08:30.399 --> 00:08:35.039 her place to call someone. After a friend of Scott's was unable to help, 101 00:08:35.360 --> 00:08:37.879 Scott claimed Charlotte called a wrecker who came to pull the Mustang out of 102 00:08:37.879 --> 00:08:43.759 the ditch. According to him, after driving back to Charlotte's house, the 103 00:08:43.799 --> 00:08:50.279 pair then got into an argument. Things turned physical, and Scott admitted that 104 00:08:50.320 --> 00:08:54.639 he lost control and struck Charlotte in the face three times using his fist, 105 00:08:54.159 --> 00:09:00.159 alleging that she had hid him in the face first. Throughout the interview you, 106 00:09:00.519 --> 00:09:05.799 Scott continually asked whether his ex girlfriend was going to press charges and was 107 00:09:05.840 --> 00:09:11.399 anxious about the status of her condition. He continued telling Detective Williams he didn't 108 00:09:11.399 --> 00:09:16.600 fully appreciate the extent of Charlotte's injuries at the time, but he knew he 109 00:09:16.639 --> 00:09:20.360 had to do something. Scott said he put Charlotte in the car and headed 110 00:09:20.360 --> 00:09:24.440 for the hospital, but on the way, as he approached the nearby town 111 00:09:24.440 --> 00:09:30.440 of Santee, he saw a Best Western motel on his right. He said 112 00:09:30.480 --> 00:09:33.960 he changed his mind, hoping that if you put Charlotte in the shower, 113 00:09:33.200 --> 00:09:39.039 she would come too. Scott pulled in and got himself a room before carrying 114 00:09:39.120 --> 00:09:43.399 Charlotte inside. He claimed that once he got Charlotte inside and washed her under 115 00:09:43.399 --> 00:09:48.759 the shower, he not only realized she was still bleeding, but her condition 116 00:09:48.919 --> 00:09:52.440 was much worse than he had originally thought. It was then that he placed 117 00:09:52.440 --> 00:09:58.759 her back in the car and drove to the hospital. Detective Williams immediately called 118 00:09:58.799 --> 00:10:03.600 bullshit on the whole thing, not just because of Scott's completely contradictory stories or 119 00:10:03.639 --> 00:10:07.759 the fact that the detective couldn't smell any alcohol on the young man, which 120 00:10:07.799 --> 00:10:13.200 you would expect if he was as drunk as he claimed. The evidence in 121 00:10:13.279 --> 00:10:18.679 Charlotte's vehicle was proof the young woman had been brutally beaten. In the trunk 122 00:10:18.720 --> 00:10:22.480 of her car, where the rifle had been found, were more bloodstains. 123 00:10:22.679 --> 00:10:28.279 Both Charlotte's geostorm and Scott's Mustang were taken in for forensic processing by the South 124 00:10:28.320 --> 00:10:35.600 Carolina Law Enforcement Division or sled back At the medical center, Charlotte's head injuries 125 00:10:35.600 --> 00:10:41.519 were so bad that doctors knew she needed more urgent care than they could provide. 126 00:10:41.919 --> 00:10:46.919 She was airlifted to Richland Memorial Hospital in Columbia, forty five miles away, 127 00:10:46.279 --> 00:10:52.600 where she underwent emergency surgery and was placed in the neuro intensive care unit. 128 00:10:54.879 --> 00:11:00.480 A family friend named Duncan Hall told The Times in Democrat that seeing Charlotte 129 00:11:00.480 --> 00:11:05.279 in the hospital was horrible. She was so badly beaten that her head was 130 00:11:05.279 --> 00:11:09.720 swollen four times its normal size. Even her hands were swollen. He said, 131 00:11:09.679 --> 00:11:16.759 you could hardly tell she was a human being. I'm going to pause 132 00:11:16.799 --> 00:11:22.799 now to hear a word from our sponsors. This episode is brought to you 133 00:11:22.840 --> 00:11:26.080 by Betterhelp. Sometimes you've just got to get something off your chest. We 134 00:11:26.120 --> 00:11:31.399 all carry around stressors, big or small, but it's unhealthy to walk around 135 00:11:31.480 --> 00:11:35.759 bottled up all the time. Therapy is a safe space to unburden yourself. 136 00:11:35.480 --> 00:11:39.440 Talking about what is weighing you down is so cathartic as well as constructive for 137 00:11:39.480 --> 00:11:43.720 your mental health. 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Get twenty percent 160 00:13:16.000 --> 00:13:20.159 off any new simply Safe system when you sign up for fast protect monitoring. 161 00:13:20.840 --> 00:13:26.440 Just visit simplysafe dot com slash Southern Friud. That's simply safe. Dot com 162 00:13:26.440 --> 00:13:35.600 slash Southern Friud. There's no safe like simply Safe. That afternoon, as 163 00:13:35.679 --> 00:13:41.759 Charlotte was fighting for her life in critical condition, Scott was arrested and charged 164 00:13:41.840 --> 00:13:48.960 with kidnapping and assault and battery with intent to kill. Orangeburg County Magistrate Peggy 165 00:13:48.039 --> 00:13:54.879 Davis released Scott on a twenty thousand dollars personal recognizance bond, citing the fact 166 00:13:54.960 --> 00:13:58.440 that he didn't have a criminal record, he had the support of his parents, 167 00:13:58.799 --> 00:14:03.000 and she didn't consider him a flight risk. According to The Times and 168 00:14:03.120 --> 00:14:07.720 Democrat, Scott was instructed to abide by a ten pm curfew, not leave 169 00:14:07.799 --> 00:14:13.679 South Carolina, turn up to court, and keep seeing his psychologist. Scott 170 00:14:13.679 --> 00:14:20.519 Atkinson had graduated from Hollyhill Academy himself in nineteen ninety one and had just finished 171 00:14:20.679 --> 00:14:26.960 his sophomore year of college at Francis Marion College in Florence, South Carolina, 172 00:14:28.279 --> 00:14:31.080 but he was home for the summer with his parents, Daniel and Cathy until 173 00:14:31.120 --> 00:14:37.080 classes resumed. As I mentioned earlier, Scott and Charlotte had dated for around 174 00:14:37.120 --> 00:14:43.240 two years before the attack, when she ended the relationship not long after the 175 00:14:43.279 --> 00:14:48.960 couple attended the Hollyhill Academy's junior senior prom Charlotte seemed to be okay with things, 176 00:14:50.639 --> 00:14:54.000 but Scott, who felt the childs were like his second family, didn't 177 00:14:54.039 --> 00:15:00.240 want to let go. In the days before the attack, he had been 178 00:15:00.279 --> 00:15:05.399 calling and harassing Charlotte at work, which her coworkers noticed. He had also 179 00:15:05.440 --> 00:15:09.360 taken to following her around in his car as she drove, trying to run 180 00:15:09.399 --> 00:15:13.919 her off the road on multiple occasions in an attempt to talk to her. 181 00:15:15.679 --> 00:15:22.440 Back at Richland Memorial, Charlotte had deteriorated despite surgery. That evening, her 182 00:15:22.440 --> 00:15:28.720 classmates in Holly Hill were graduating, but the celebration was overshadowed by the incredible 183 00:15:28.759 --> 00:15:33.919 sadness that had engulfed the senior class and the school faculty. The academy principal 184 00:15:35.080 --> 00:15:41.039 set a special prayer for Charlotte and her family Sadly at eight forty three pm 185 00:15:41.200 --> 00:15:46.039 on May twenty eighth, the eighteen year old passed away. Charlotte never regained 186 00:15:46.080 --> 00:15:52.039 consciousness, so police weren't able to interview her about what really happened. The 187 00:15:52.120 --> 00:15:56.440 following morning, Scott Atkinson was charged with murder and taken to the Orangeburg Calhoun 188 00:15:56.559 --> 00:16:03.120 Detention Center to await a new bond hearing. At Charlotte's autopsy in Charleston, 189 00:16:03.559 --> 00:16:08.480 Orangeburg County Corner Semwhat, a marshal found that some of the blunt injuries looked 190 00:16:08.519 --> 00:16:12.039 like they had been inflicted by the butt of a rifle, the same type 191 00:16:12.039 --> 00:16:17.240 of weapon which was found in the trunk of Charlotte's car after Scott had driven 192 00:16:17.279 --> 00:16:22.679 her to the hospital. The young woman had been struck at least fourteen times 193 00:16:22.679 --> 00:16:26.480 in the head, resulting in multiple skull fractures, but it was impossible to 194 00:16:26.519 --> 00:16:30.960 tell how many of those blows were inflicted by the butt of the rifle. 195 00:16:33.279 --> 00:16:38.840 Charlotte also had genital bruising consistent with sexual assault. Her cause of death was 196 00:16:38.879 --> 00:16:45.480 cerebral edema, or swelling of the brain, according to the Times in Democrat. 197 00:16:45.000 --> 00:16:51.360 At Charlotte's funeral in Holly Hill on Memorial Day, the Reverend Hermannheimann spoke 198 00:16:51.399 --> 00:16:55.039 fondly of the young woman and the happy memories she would leave with her loved 199 00:16:55.039 --> 00:17:00.080 ones, describing her as a sweet child, a special child, and the 200 00:17:00.120 --> 00:17:03.440 hearts of her family and loved ones. He went on, we like to 201 00:17:03.480 --> 00:17:07.640 remember the good things, the things that are dear to our hearts. She 202 00:17:07.759 --> 00:17:14.279 was later buried in Forest Hill's Memorial Park in Elberton, Georgia. Two days 203 00:17:14.279 --> 00:17:18.720 after her funeral, on June second, Scott was denied bond by Circuit Judge 204 00:17:18.759 --> 00:17:25.000 William Howitt, though he could request another hearing after thirty days. As Detective 205 00:17:25.039 --> 00:17:30.400 Williams and team continued the investigation, they learned more about Scott's threatening behavior towards 206 00:17:30.440 --> 00:17:34.680 Charlotte in the lead up to her death. Earlier in the week, he 207 00:17:34.720 --> 00:17:40.559 had followed her to her best friend's home in Utahville, confronting her by saying 208 00:17:40.599 --> 00:17:45.960 she had destroyed his life, so he was going to destroy hers. The 209 00:17:45.079 --> 00:17:52.240 night of the pregraduation party, Scott turned up uninvited in front of Charlotte's friends. 210 00:17:52.319 --> 00:17:55.559 He grabbed her by the arm, saying, Charlotte, You're never going 211 00:17:55.599 --> 00:17:59.599 to get rid of me. I'm going to fuck your world up. Despite 212 00:17:59.640 --> 00:18:03.720 how discerning Scott's behavior was, according to Charlotte's friends, she wasn't worried about 213 00:18:03.759 --> 00:18:10.240 him actually doing anything. Charlotte felt her ex was all talk, that he 214 00:18:10.319 --> 00:18:14.079 was just pressuring her to convince her to get back together with him. She 215 00:18:14.160 --> 00:18:18.559 never dreamed he would actually physically hurt her. Authorities had also contacted the Best 216 00:18:18.559 --> 00:18:23.160 Western and santi where Scott had checked in before taking Charlotte to the medical center. 217 00:18:26.000 --> 00:18:29.720 The amount of blood found in the room by housekeeping staff, including a 218 00:18:29.720 --> 00:18:33.759 bloody tennis shoe print, indicated that rather than Scott taking Charlotte there to try 219 00:18:33.759 --> 00:18:41.440 to help her, he instead subjected her to a brutal beating. The motel's 220 00:18:41.519 --> 00:18:45.599 night manager told police that around three fifteen am, a man matching Scott's description 221 00:18:47.200 --> 00:18:51.480 and with traces of blood on him, paid for a room. She then 222 00:18:51.480 --> 00:18:56.480 saw Scott pulling a woman out of the trunk and carrying her inside. The 223 00:18:56.559 --> 00:18:59.839 manager says she reported what she saw, but there was no record of her 224 00:19:00.240 --> 00:19:07.119 with the Sheriff's department. Law enforcement had also spoken to a Utahville woman whose 225 00:19:07.200 --> 00:19:11.920 daughter had previously dated Scott. The woman told investigators she had observed Scott pushing 226 00:19:11.960 --> 00:19:18.359 and shoving her daughter, whom he was stalking. She later testified it was 227 00:19:18.480 --> 00:19:22.519 just a very nervous time for all of us because I saw extreme jealousy and 228 00:19:22.599 --> 00:19:27.359 threats. On July twentieth, Scott was denied bond for a second time, 229 00:19:27.720 --> 00:19:33.960 much to the overwhelming relief of Charlotte's family. The defense presented a clinical psychologist 230 00:19:34.079 --> 00:19:40.960 who testified as to a battery of tests Scott had undergone. According to Scott's 231 00:19:41.000 --> 00:19:45.599 parents, since the age of twelve, their son had made multiple suicide attempts, 232 00:19:45.839 --> 00:19:49.359 suffered from alcohol abuse, and was being treated for depression, but he 233 00:19:49.440 --> 00:19:56.240 wasn't in therapy or taking medication at the time of the assault. Tensions ran 234 00:19:56.319 --> 00:20:00.680 high during the proceedings, with a family friend of the child's, Duncan Hall, 235 00:20:00.079 --> 00:20:04.200 being removed from the courtroom for shouting. He was the same man who 236 00:20:04.240 --> 00:20:10.599 served as the family spokesperson for the press. One report said the protective man 237 00:20:10.640 --> 00:20:14.279 had jumped in front of two TV reporters who were trying to get to Charlotte's 238 00:20:14.279 --> 00:20:21.359 family at the hospital. The following day, at Scott's preliminary hearing before Magistrate 239 00:20:21.400 --> 00:20:26.119 Peggy Davis, First Circuit Solicitor Walter Bailey announced that the state would be pursuing 240 00:20:26.160 --> 00:20:34.119 the death penalty in contrast to Scott's version of events. Prosecutors believed that after 241 00:20:34.160 --> 00:20:38.079 he left the pre graduation party, he had been driving around and decided to 242 00:20:38.119 --> 00:20:42.079 stop on the side of the road along the route he knew Charlotte would take 243 00:20:42.119 --> 00:20:48.000 to get home. Furious that she wouldn't take him back, and consumed by 244 00:20:48.039 --> 00:20:52.279 anger, he was going to destroy her life, just like he had promised 245 00:20:52.279 --> 00:20:56.839 her. 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When she got out of her car, 294 00:24:34.720 --> 00:24:41.000 Scott attacked his ex girlfriend, viciously beating her unconscious before putting her in the 295 00:24:41.079 --> 00:24:45.079 trunk of her own car and hopping in the driver's seat. He drove to 296 00:24:45.119 --> 00:24:49.960 the motel in Santy, where he checked in and carried Charlotte inside there, 297 00:24:51.000 --> 00:24:55.400 he continued viciously beating her with his fists and the butt of the rifle. 298 00:24:56.400 --> 00:24:59.920 After some time, he put her back in the vehicle and drove Charlotte to 299 00:24:59.920 --> 00:25:04.480 the the hospital. It seems obvious he also sexually assaulted her in the motel 300 00:25:04.559 --> 00:25:10.319 room. Not only has she shown signs of rape in the autopsy, he 301 00:25:10.440 --> 00:25:14.960 had been careful to tell the police that they had had consensual sex that night 302 00:25:15.359 --> 00:25:19.960 in case they found evidence of the assault. Scott maintained he had only ever 303 00:25:21.000 --> 00:25:25.720 struck Charlotte with his hands and nothing else, in what one of his attorneys 304 00:25:25.880 --> 00:25:30.559 described as a crime of passion. Following a motion from the defense, the 305 00:25:30.640 --> 00:25:36.160 charge of assault and battery with intent to kill was dropped, but Scott was 306 00:25:36.200 --> 00:25:41.240 still headed to trial. That was until March thirtieth, nineteen ninety four, 307 00:25:41.559 --> 00:25:45.279 when twenty one year old Scott Atkinson pled guilty to Charlotte's murder after cutting a 308 00:25:45.319 --> 00:25:52.359 deal with prosecutors following consultation with Charlotte's family. The last thing they wanted to 309 00:25:52.359 --> 00:25:56.480 put themselves through was more delays for a death penalty trial, let alone a 310 00:25:56.519 --> 00:26:02.200 minimum of thirteen years of appeals in the event of a conviction, which is 311 00:26:02.200 --> 00:26:07.640 what prosecutors had advised would likely happen. The kidnapping and grand larceny charges were 312 00:26:07.680 --> 00:26:14.920 also dropped. This was because Scott had entered an Alfred plea most true crime 313 00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:18.920 listeners know. This is where an accused person doesn't admit to guilt, but 314 00:26:18.039 --> 00:26:25.039 instead acknowledges there is sufficient evidence for a jury to find them guilty. At 315 00:26:25.079 --> 00:26:29.240 sentencing, Scott struggled to get through his address to the court and to Charlotte's 316 00:26:29.240 --> 00:26:33.240 family. One of his attorneys had to finish reading his statement, which said, 317 00:26:34.200 --> 00:26:37.680 I know that nothing that I will ever say or do will ever change 318 00:26:37.680 --> 00:26:41.039 what has happened. For two years of my life, you all have been 319 00:26:41.119 --> 00:26:45.240 like a second family to me, and I would give anything to go back 320 00:26:45.279 --> 00:26:48.960 and change what has happened. No one deserves the grief and heartache that I 321 00:26:48.960 --> 00:26:52.240 have put you and my family through, and for the rest of my life 322 00:26:52.359 --> 00:26:55.799 I'll have to live with the fact that I'm the cause of it. I 323 00:26:55.839 --> 00:26:57.559 know I have no right to ask anything from you, but I would like 324 00:26:57.559 --> 00:27:02.240 you to please understand that I would never had this happen in a million years. 325 00:27:02.440 --> 00:27:04.720 I loved Charlotte very much, and as God is my witness, I'll 326 00:27:04.759 --> 00:27:08.319 do everything in my power to make some good come out of all of this. 327 00:27:08.960 --> 00:27:12.240 I owe that to God, to your family and mine, and most 328 00:27:12.279 --> 00:27:15.319 of all, to Charlotte. At this time, I would like to say 329 00:27:15.359 --> 00:27:18.039 to all of your family and to all that have suffered because of this, 330 00:27:18.640 --> 00:27:22.039 I humbly beg that someday you will find it in your heart to forgive me. 331 00:27:22.559 --> 00:27:30.279 I am very sorry. Scott concluded his statement by reiterating that Charlotte's death 332 00:27:30.359 --> 00:27:33.319 was an accident, saying, I'm sure if both of us were not drinking, 333 00:27:33.680 --> 00:27:37.920 none of this would have ever happened. He denied ever stalking Charlotte or 334 00:27:37.960 --> 00:27:45.160 intentionally harming her way to get a final shot in at Charlotte, it doesn't 335 00:27:45.200 --> 00:27:48.200 matter if she was drinking. It doesn't matter if he was drinking. There 336 00:27:48.279 --> 00:27:53.480 is no excuse for what looks like a vicious, premeditated attack and sexual assault 337 00:27:53.519 --> 00:28:03.359 of this girl he supposedly loved so much. Judge Charles Whetstone sentenced Scott Atkinson 338 00:28:03.400 --> 00:28:07.200 to life in prison. Under South Carolina law, he would be eligible for 339 00:28:07.240 --> 00:28:14.480 parole after a mandatory twenty years. Despite how hollow Scott's words may ring for 340 00:28:14.559 --> 00:28:21.920 some, Charlotte's parents believed his emotional apology was genuine. Still, this didn't 341 00:28:21.920 --> 00:28:26.839 diminish the gaping void that the loss of their sweet Charlotte left. Her mother 342 00:28:26.960 --> 00:28:33.079 June told The Times and Democrat, he destroyed our lives, the people in 343 00:28:33.160 --> 00:28:37.440 Holly Hill. He will never know exactly what he did. There's no way 344 00:28:37.720 --> 00:28:41.319 we will ever forget, but we can try to start putting a little normalcy 345 00:28:41.599 --> 00:28:48.720 back into our lives, especially for the kids. Forty seven year old Daniel 346 00:28:48.759 --> 00:28:55.720 Scott Atkinson was released on parole on August seventh, twenty twenty, after serving 347 00:28:55.759 --> 00:29:00.960 twenty seven years of his life sentence. Today, the fifty one year old 348 00:29:02.160 --> 00:29:06.720 is currently believed to be residing in Colleton County, with his parole due to 349 00:29:06.839 --> 00:29:14.039 end in January twenty thirty eight. It is difficult to accept that a murderer 350 00:29:14.240 --> 00:29:18.559 walks free while an eighteen year old girl lies cold in her grave. A 351 00:29:18.599 --> 00:29:25.640 man that age can still father children and have a whole other chance at life. 352 00:29:25.759 --> 00:29:29.920 Charlotte would be close to my age today, probably married with children of 353 00:29:29.920 --> 00:29:33.599 her own. The smart and ambitious young woman was also on her way to 354 00:29:33.640 --> 00:29:40.319 a career she was passionate about, and Scott didn't just rub Charlotte of her 355 00:29:40.359 --> 00:29:44.599 life. He took her from her parents, her brother and sister, her 356 00:29:44.640 --> 00:29:49.079 friends. They lost an aunt, nieces, nephews, cousins, grandchildren. 357 00:29:51.519 --> 00:29:59.000 The loss of a young person reverberates traumatically for generations, all of it taken 358 00:29:59.039 --> 00:30:03.960 away by abusive man who intentionally hurt Charlotte. He might have brought her to 359 00:30:04.000 --> 00:30:08.160 the hospital, but really did he think she had a chance to live after 360 00:30:08.200 --> 00:30:15.599 that beating? No, he destroyed her, just like he said he would. 361 00:30:17.359 --> 00:30:22.640 As passionate as I feel, I do very much understand why Charlotte's family 362 00:30:22.759 --> 00:30:26.519 accepted the plea deal. I have often said, no matter how you feel 363 00:30:26.799 --> 00:30:33.559 morally about the death penalty, the automatic appeals process causes seemingly endless pain for 364 00:30:33.599 --> 00:30:38.920 the victim's family, and I always support a family's right to be involved in 365 00:30:38.960 --> 00:30:45.480 the plea decision. Ali Managacus, the founder and executive director of South Carolina 366 00:30:45.599 --> 00:30:49.599 for Criminal Justice Reform, said, I don't know how anyone could say that 367 00:30:49.720 --> 00:30:53.920 someone doesn't change in thirty years, or that someone hasn't paid their debts in 368 00:30:53.960 --> 00:31:00.079 thirty years, even individuals that have been sentenced to death. Maybe she is 369 00:31:00.160 --> 00:31:04.720 right, maybe I've become jaded, but I don't think so. I think 370 00:31:04.759 --> 00:31:11.519 there are times when parole is fair true crimes of passion lesser murder charges. 371 00:31:11.480 --> 00:31:15.880 I think the problem with Charlotte's story is that Scott harassed and threatened her. 372 00:31:17.519 --> 00:31:22.720 He told her he would kill her, and he fulfilled that promise. He 373 00:31:22.759 --> 00:31:27.279 took away her dignity and destroyed her and her family. He was just lucky 374 00:31:27.680 --> 00:31:33.119 that her family believed in forgiveness, even in their despair at losing Charlotte in 375 00:31:33.160 --> 00:31:38.319 such a horrific way. For the sake of Charlotte's family and the broader community, 376 00:31:38.759 --> 00:31:42.960 we can only hope that her killer has learned the lessons that only having 377 00:31:44.000 --> 00:31:51.200 your freedom taken away can bring. Domestic violence cases are always hard to tell, 378 00:31:51.880 --> 00:31:56.480 especially when victims are as young as Charlotte, but it is so important 379 00:31:56.720 --> 00:32:00.680 to tell these stories. I hope other teenagers learn about the warning signs and 380 00:32:00.759 --> 00:32:06.720 take them seriously. It never seems like someone who once loved you so much 381 00:32:07.000 --> 00:32:14.119 could actually hurt you, but statistically they are most likely to hurt you if 382 00:32:14.160 --> 00:32:19.039 you are experiencing abuse. There is help in the US. Call one eight 383 00:32:19.119 --> 00:32:25.759 hundred seven nine nine safe or visit the website Theehotline dot Org. I will 384 00:32:25.799 --> 00:32:30.319 have these resources as well as those for other countries. In today's show notes, 385 00:32:31.519 --> 00:32:40.160 you are not alone. Southern Fraud True Crime is hosted and produced by 386 00:32:40.160 --> 00:32:45.640 me Erica Kelly. Today's episode was researched and written by me and Jima Harris. 387 00:32:45.000 --> 00:32:50.079 As usual, any editorial comments and opinions are my own. Southern Fred's 388 00:32:50.079 --> 00:32:52.680 original music is by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radio and the original graphic artist by 389 00:32:52.680 --> 00:32:58.039 Colleen Horner. Today's episode was edited and mixed by Brendan Schacksnier of Southern Gothic 390 00:32:58.079 --> 00:33:00.200 and Erica Kelly. If you have any case suggestions, please go to my 391 00:33:00.240 --> 00:33:06.400 website, Southernfred Truecrime dot com and click on the listener suggestion tab or email 392 00:33:06.559 --> 00:33:10.200 SFTC Research at gmail dot com. This is the best way for me to 393 00:33:10.200 --> 00:33:14.960 get those little known cases you'll always send me. 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