Sheriff: Chester man in police standoff confesses, charged with beating death
A Chester County resident who was in an armed standoff with police last week after a man had been killed is now charged with murder, officials said.
Scott Lewis Buckner, 42, is accused of beating Terry Lee Jones to death Feb. 19 on Pinckney Road in Chester, said Max Dorsey, Chester County Sheriff.
Buckner confessed to the killing in a “willful admission,” according to arrest warrants obtained by The Herald. Deputies also recovered the weapon used and have other evidence, arrest warrants state.
Jones was found dead shortly before noon Wednesday, officials said.
After the body was found Feb. 19, deputies, State Law Enforcement Division agents, and Chester Police Department officers were involved in a standoff with Buckner on West Elliott Street in Chester, officials said.
Jones’ truck was found at the standoff site and Buckner had two guns, Dorsey said. SLED agents used non-lethal gas and a robot to enter the home and take Buckner into custody on Feb. 19, Dorsey said.
Buckner is originally from Florida, but has most recently lived in Chester, deputies said.
Buckner faces 30 years in prison to life if convicted of the murder charge under South Carolina law.
He also is charged with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and violation of prison release, police records show. Buckner has convictions for burglary and assault and battery in 2017 and 2019, according to court records.
Buckner was free after he had been released from the S.C. Department of Corrections on what is called South Carolina’s Supervised Release Program after serving 85 percent of his sentence, said Pete O’Boyle, spokesman for the S.C. Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services.
Buckner also is charged with violating terms of his release, O’Boyle said.
Buckner is being held in the Chester County jail without bail.
This story was originally published February 24, 2020 at 11:56 AM.
