September 13, 2022

Statement from Sheriff Jody Rowland

Two Edgefield County men have been arrested and charged with Murder, Armed Robbery and Possession of a Firearm During a Violent Crime. 

On Sunday evening September 11, 2022, Deputies along with the Edgefield County Coroner’s Office responded to a wooded area along Deep Step Road in the southern tip of Edgefield County. A hunter, scouting on National Forest property, located the body of a white male and reported the find. Upon locating the victim, a crime scene was established, and Agents from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and their crime scene unit were called in to assist with the investigation. 

Our investigation led to identifying the victim as forty-two-year-old Christopher Lathrop.             It was determined that Lathrophad been killed by multiple gunshot wounds to the neck, and arms. 

The identification of Lathrop led to his last known address on Hayes Drive in Edgefield County and the investigation revealed suspicious activity of Lathrop and his two neighbors.Investigators learned the three men had been together the previous day and that Brock and Barfield lured Lathrop to the remote area where they shot and killed him. 

Arrested and charged with murder is nineteen-year-old William Patrick Edward Barfield, and twenty-year-old Devon Raye Brock, both of Hayes Drive in Edgefield County. The car used in the crime was recovered from Barfield’s family. The suspected murder weapon was recovered during a search of the home of suspect Brock. 

Sheriff Rowland said, “To solve this case in just over twenty-four hours is remarkable. Our Deputies and Investigators worked around the clock gathering evidence and investigating leads that resulted in these arrests. I’m proud of the quality work performed by our team. In addition, we are grateful to our partners at SLED, the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office, theColumbia County Sheriff’s Office as well as Homeland Security for assisting us with a difficult identification of the victim.”

An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday morning. ​

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