Man’s Self-Defense Claim Collapses After Shotgun Found Placed Across Victim’s Body, South Carolina Jury Rules
GREENWOOD, SOUTH CAROLINA — A South Carolina jury has sentenced a North Carolina man to decades in prison after prosecutors proved he murdered a young woman and attempted to stage the scene as self-defense, a story that quickly unraveled due to forensic evidence and witness testimony.
Jury Convicts Man After Two-Week Trial
Wilson Justice Xavier Smith, 27, was found guilty late Thursday of murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime in the killing of Ahkeyra Raysor, 22, according to the Eighth Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
A Greenwood County jury deliberated for approximately 10 hours before returning guilty verdicts. Smith was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
911 Call Claimed Self-Defense
The case dates back to December 2022, when officers responded to a 911 call at the Burfield Apartments on Cambridge Avenue East in Greenwood.
Smith told dispatchers he had shot a woman in self-defense.
When officers arrived, they found Raysor lying on a bed with a fatal shotgun wound to the head, prosecutors said.
Shotgun Placement Raised Immediate Suspicion
According to prosecutors, a shotgun was found “conspicuously” laid across Raysor’s body, a detail that immediately raised red flags for investigators.
Paramedics rushed Raysor to the hospital, but doctors pronounced her dead shortly afterward.
Smith told detectives that Raysor had fired the shotgun at him first, prompting him to shoot back in self-defense.
DNA and Witnesses Disproved His Story
Investigators quickly determined Smith’s version of events did not match the evidence.
Police testing revealed Smith’s DNA — and the DNA of other individuals — on the shotgun, but none belonging to Raysor, according to prosecutors.
Additionally, witness testimony contradicted Smith’s account, further undermining his claim that Raysor had been the aggressor.
Prosecutor: “Calculated and Violent Act”
Greenwood County Solicitor David M. Stumbo said the case involved not only murder, but an attempt to mislead police.
“This was a calculated and violent act, followed by a deliberate attempt to deceive law enforcement and escape responsibility,” Stumbo said. “Because of a total team effort, the truth prevailed, and a violent killer has been held accountable.”
Prosecutors did not publicly disclose the nature of the relationship between Smith and Raysor, nor did they identify a specific motive for the killing.
Victim Remembered as Loving Mother
Raysor’s obituary describes her as a devoted mother of two who had recently enrolled in hairdressing school and was working toward building a better future.
“She had a profound love for cooking for others,” the obituary read. “She was a free-spirited individual and loved family time.”
Case Highlights Importance of Scene Evidence
Authorities emphasized that crime scene details and forensic testing played a crucial role in exposing Smith’s false self-defense narrative, ensuring accountability in a case that initially relied on the suspect’s own version of events.
Smith will serve his sentence in the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
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