THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA vs R. C.
R. C. and some friends got into a conflict with G. C. and his friends at a bar over some girls. They agreed to meet at the fire department parking lot to settle things. G. C. came after R. C. with a large knife. R. C.’s car was between them and he warned G. C. off saying he had a gun. R. C. did in fact have a gun. G. C. continued to come toward R. C. and R. C. continued to warn G. C. When G. C. got too close, R. C. fired and G. C. was killed. R. C. was indicted for murder and went to trial in early 1990 in the Greenville County Court of General Sessions. He faced life in prison. During the trial the prosecutor, while showing the juror the victim’s knife, accidentally cut himself and bled on his legal pad. R. C. chose not to testify and instead to let the written statement he gave to the sheriff’s deputies stand so that his lawyer could argue last to the jury. He was found not guilty. R. C. later joined the navy. You can read more about R. C.’s case in the article below.