Death penalty possible for men charged in killing of postal carrier in SC, feds say
Two men are facing federal murder charges in connection with the killing of a U.S. postal carrier who was shot and killed last year while delivering mail on her rural South Carolina route in Williamsburg County. A third man is facing drug charges related to the postal carrier’s murder.
The new charges were announced Wednesday by U.S. Attorney Peter McCoy, who said that Andrews residents Trevor Raekwon Seward, 22, and Jerome Terrell Davis, 28, were charged in a six-count federal indictment for their direct roles in the killing of Irene Pressley — a 64-year-old mother and grandmother.
If convicted, Seward and Davis could face the death penalty. Prosecutors said they have made no final decision on whether to seek the death penalty.
Seward was the triggerman and used an assault-type rifle of the brand DoubleStar Corporation Model Star-15, 5.56 caliber, the indictment said.
Ricky Jesus Barajas, 28, of Santa Rosa, California, was also charged by the federal government for his role in a drug conspiracy that investigators said was connected to the Sept. 23, 2019, shooting, the U.S. Attorney said.
Pressley was dead when she was found inside her vehicle by a passerby. The 20-plus-year veteran of the post office was delivering mail on her route when she was shot multiple times around 3 pm with a semi-automatic weapon, according to an indictment and other records in the case.
The motive in the case appears to have been an attempt to steal a package containing marijuana, McCoy said.
“This will not stand in our backyard,” McCoy said at a Wednesday news conference in Kingstree, the county seat of Williamsburg County. “First and foremost, my heart goes out to Ms. Pressley’s family for their profound loss. She was an exceptional woman who spent a lifetime in service of her community,”
Seward and Davis were initially arrested on state murder charges in the weeks following Pressley’s death. They have been in jail since then.
The federal charges came after an extensive joint federal, state, and local investigation involving more than 70 law enforcement officers, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.
Seward is accused of shooting Pressley multiple times, and numerous shell casings were found at the scene, officials said Wednesday. Forensic tests from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service showed at least one fingerprint on a piece of mail connected Seward to the murder, according to a Williamsburg County sheriff’s news release.
Seward and Davis were charged with several crimes related to the murder and a drug conspiracy during the time of the murder, according to the indictment. They include killing Pressley “with premeditation and malice aforethought” while she was engaged in her official duties as a mail carrier; and obstructing the delivery of U.S. mail by means of actual or threatened force.
The killing took place about 3 pm at the intersection of two rural two-lane roads, Senate Road and Morrisville Road, about 20 miles east of Kingstree, according to a state warrant in the case.
Seward, Davis, and Barajas are charged in a marijuana distribution conspiracy, according to the indictment.
Davis and Barajas are charged with using a telephone to facilitate the drug conspiracy on the day of the murder, according to the indictment.
Additionally, Seward is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and carrying a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and causing the murder of Pressley by shooting her, the indictment said.
“When a member of our postal family is attacked, we pull out all stops to track down the perpetrator and deliver justice,” said Tommy D. Coke, the postal inspector in charge of the Atlanta Division. Investigators from various law enforcement agencies worked more than 25,000 hours “to deliver justice for Irene,” Coke said.
If convicted, Seward and Davis face a minimum sentence of life in federal prison, and Barajas faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the 3rd Circuit Solicitor’s Office, North Charleston Police Department, and the Williamsburg County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant United States Attorney Nick Bianchi is prosecuting the case.
Pressley was survived by her husband and their five children, among other family members. She was a leader in her church, and was known as “The Mother” at the U.S. Postal Service by her co-workers, according to her obituary.
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This story was originally published September 2, 2020 at 11:53 AM with the headline "Death penalty possible for men charged in killing of postal carrier in SC, feds say."
