A teen’s body was found the day before his birthday and now a man’s in jail, SC police say
A man wanted on a murder charge following the death of a South Carolina teenager has been arrested, according to the Sumter Police Department.
Ja’Hugh Martin surrendered Monday afternoon, police said in a news release. Martin was taken into custody three days after police said there was a manhunt for the 20-year-old Manning resident.
In addition to Sumter police, the Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office, Manning Police Department and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division were involved in the search for Martin.
Martin is the second person to be arrested after a teenager’s body was found the day before his 16th birthday, according to police. On Friday, police said 17-year-old Manning resident Jaylen Hammett was charged with accessory before the fact of murder.
The charges are connected to the shooting death of 15-year-old Derrick “C.D.” Wilson, according to police.
On July 24, Wilson was reported missing by his family after he was last seen the day before when leaving a relative’s home and getting into a car with “two unknown individuals,” police said.
Wilson’s body was found July 25 by officers in the area of Hoyt and Nelson streets, a residential neighborhood south of downtown Sumter.
Police did not say if Martin and Hammett were the people in the car with Wilson when he was last seen. Information about a motive for the shooting was not available, but police said they are working to determine “what happened and why.”
Both Martin and Hammett were taken to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center, according to police. No bond was set for Hammett, police said. Information about Martin’s bond status was not available.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Sumter police at 803-436-2700, CrimeStoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC, or submit an online tip.
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This story was originally published July 30, 2024 at 10:39 AM with the headline "A teen’s body was found the day before his birthday and now a man’s in jail, SC police say."
