Three Arrested in Hanahan Homicide
Police believe money was motive in killing of 71-year-old Otranto man.
Three people have been charged with murder in the death of Roy Ray Bennett. The 71-year-old Otranto resident was found dead in his home Sunday afternoon.
A bond hearing will be held Friday morning for Brittany Lynn Swagner, 24, Robert Andrew McFadden, 24, and Robert Randolph Clark, 39.
The motive in the case is believed to have been money, according to Hanahan Police Lt. Michael Fowler. "They thought he had money, and he couldn't give it to them," Fowler said.
Don't miss a headline. Like Goose Creek Patch on Facebook!
According to police, video surveillance at the Walmart in North Charleston allegedly shows McFadden and Clark stealing duct tape, along with other items, at roughly 7:35 a.m. Sunday.
Bennett was found at 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon, tied to his bed with duct tape and a bag put over his head. The Berkeley County Coroner's Office is waiting on a toxicology report before releasing the cause of death.
Police believe that Bennett knew Clark well enough to let him into the home, but they have not found any relationship between Bennett and the other suspects.
Read: Several Steps to Reach Hanahan Homicide Charges
More charges may be coming for the suspects related to the crime. For instance, Fowler said police know of at least four firearms stolen from the home.
Fowler said investigators have not found a link between the suspects and Harry Shane Dupree, 39, of North Charleston. Dupree was arrested prior to Bennett's death and is still being held in Charleston County on charges of forging checks off Bennett's account.
More:
- See more on the Otranto homicide investigation
- Sign up for our daily newsletter
Rebecca Callahan
6:32 pm on Sunday, July 29, 2012
This is sad! no matter what Roy Bennett may have done in the past is up to the judge and jury to tend with. There is a pattern with the ones who may have killed Roy Bennett including with Brittany Swanger. Her last name is swanger not swagner. She has served time in prison for several charges(5) in fact. One of the charges was theft from the elderly at which she was residing in ashland ohio. Some people pray on the elderly which is a shame.