Man charged with murder after victim found dead near downtown Chester, police say
A man is charged with murder after a South Carolina homicide victim was found dead in the city of Chester Sunday, police and coroner officials said.
Willie Caldwell III, 55, is in the Chester County jail charged with murder, according to a statement released on police social media by the Chester Police Department.
Caldwell was arrested and charged with murder and remains jailed without bail after an initial court appearance, according to police statements and jail records.
The victim was identified as Corey Marcelle Bennett, 42, by Chester County Coroner Terry Tinker.
Bennett was found dead Sunday morning off Steinkuhler Street in Chester, officials said.
Tinker said Bennett’s death is a homicide.
Bennett had been stabbed, Tinker said. An autopsy is scheduled for later this week, Tinker said.
The area is east of downtown Chester, off S.C. 9.
The city of Chester, between Rock Hill and Columbia, has a population of about 5,500 and is the Chester County seat. The death is the first reported homicide in Chester County in 2023, officials said.
