Lancaster, SC, dad who killed his partner while their kids were home pleads guilty
A South Carolina man who killed the mother of the couple’s children while the kids were in the home has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Hurley Dean Braddy, 43, pleaded guilty to murder last week in Lancaster County for the Dec. 11, 2022, shooting death of Christy Lynn Rozier, 34, according to court records and 6th Circuit Solicitor Randy Newman.
Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office deputies described Rozier as Braddy’s domestic partner in a statement at the time of the killing.
Five children, ranging from toddler age to 16 years old, were in the Kershaw house at the time of the shooting, deputies said at the time. None were hurt.
Braddy and Rozier were parents to four of the children, deputies said. The fifth child was a 1-year-old found unharmed in a high chair in the kitchen, deputies said. They said Braddy was the father of all five children.
Deputies arrested Braddy after four of the kids ran to a neighbor’s house for help, the sheriff’s office said. Officers found Rozier shot to death in a bedroom.
Judge Donald Hocker sentenced Braddy under a negotiated plea deal between prosecutors and Braddy. Murder carries 30 years to life in prison under South Carolina law.
Braddy, who had been in jail since his arrest, was set to go to trial last week before the guilty plea.
A guilty plea in the case keeps the couple’s four children from having to go through the trauma of testifying at a trial, prosecutors said in a statement.
Rozier, originally from near Charleston, worked as a manager at a Charlotte Zaxby’s restaurant at the time of her death, according to an obituary.
