SC man charged with murder after victim dies in hospital, Richland County sheriff says

A South Carolina man who was previously arrested after his roommate was assaulted had his charge upgraded when the victim recently died, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.

Raymond Jolly, a 30-year-old Columbia resident, is now charged with murder after the 57-year-old victim died Sunday, the sheriff’s department said in a news release.

The victim, who has not been publicly identified by the Richland County Coroner’s Office, was attacked in November, according to the release.

At about 11 p.m. Nov. 23, deputies were searching for Jolly following a separate assault, the sheriff’s department said.

Deputies went to Jolly’s home in the 600 block of Kentucky Street, according to the release. That’s in the area between Bluff Road and Olympia Avenue, less than a mile from Williams-Brice Stadium and the South Carolina State Fairgrounds.

At the door of the home, deputies heard what sounded like a person in distress and then discovered the 57-year-old victim lying on the floor after suffering “severe head trauma,” the sheriff’s department said. The victim was taken to an area hospital, according to the release.

While deputies were tending to the victim, they received another call about a suspicious person, who was later identified as Jolly, the sheriff’s department said.

Deputies tracked down Jolly who ran away but was taken into custody after a brief chase, according to the release.

Jolly had suffered minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital for treatment, the sheriff’s department said. Information about his injuries, and how he suffered them was not available.

After Jolly was medically cleared from the hospital he was then taken to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, where he still remains locked up, according to the release.

Jolly was originally charged with charged with attempted murder, breach of peace, simple assault, giving false information as well as three counts of second-degree assault and battery, the sheriff’s department said.

Bond was denied on all of the charges, jail records show.

The additional assault charges and breach of peace charge stem from a separate incident that occurred around the same time, according to the release. The sheriff’s department did not say if that incident was the one that deputies originally responded to and led to their initial search for Jolly. There was no word if anyone was injured in that incident, and if so, information about their conditions was not available.

The 57-year-old who later died was Jolly’s roommate at the Kentucky Street home, according to the release. The sheriff’s department said his death led to the upgraded murder charge against Jolly, and no bond has been set on that latest count, jail records show.

Information about a motive for the attack that led to the 57-year-old victim’s death was not available, and continues to be investigated by the sheriff’s department. There was no word about how the victim was assaulted, or if any weapons were used.

Jolly is scheduled to appear in court regarding the upgraded murder charge on Feb. 28, 2025, Richland County judicial records show. He’s slated to return to court for the other charges on Jan. 31, 2025, according to judicial records.

Jolly has previously pleaded guilty to violent crimes. In 2017, he was convicted on resisting arrest in addition to third-degree assault and battery charges, according to court records.

This story was originally published December 18, 2024 at 9:22 AM with the headline "SC man charged with murder after victim dies in hospital, Richland County sheriff says."

Noah Feit

The State

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Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription