Ex-USC student goes to prison for killing man visiting Columbia, officials say
A former University of South Carolina student is going to prison for decades after recently pleading guilty to a crime connected to the 2020 shooting death of a man who was visiting Columbia, according to the 5th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
On June 23, Zachery Jamell Williams pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in connection to the shooting death of Wesley Colin Brown, the solicitor’s office said in a news release. The Columbia resident was sentenced to 27 years in a South Carolina Department of Corrections prison, according to the release. Williams was credited with nearly 5 years of time served, Richland County court records show.
The victim
Brown, a 26-year-old from Greenville, was in Columbia to attend a wedding in October 2020, both the Columbia Police Department and Richland County Coroner’s Office previously said.
On the morning of Oct. 4, 2020, Brown’s body was discovered in the 1700 block of Senate Street by two people out for a walk, the solicitor’s office said in the release. That’s close to the intersection with Henderson Street, near both the Five Points area and the Horseshoe on the USC campus.
Neither a wallet nor identification was found on the body, but police officers identified him as Brown, who was a guest at a nearby downtown hotel, according to the release.
Brown, who died at the scene, was not with any members of the wedding party or other guests when he was shot, police said.
Brown was an Atlanta, Georgia, native who went to Clemson University and moved to Greenville after graduating in 2017, according to his obituary.
“The list of those who considered Wesley their best friend is long, a true testament to his character. ... To know Wesley was to know joy. Pure, unadulterated joy,” the obituary said.
Brown was survived by his parents and three brothers, among other family members, according to the obituary.
The investigation
Officers investigating the shooting found surveillance footage that showed a silver Nissan Maxima parking on the north side of Senate Street as Brown appeared nearby, the solicitor’s office said in the release. An area resident reported hearing gunshots around the time of the incident, and security footage showed the Nissan driving away shortly after, according to the release.
Law enforcement tracked the vehicle through surveillance and identified the license plate, which was linked to a man that police later identified as Xavier York Glover, the solicitor’s office said. The next day, officers located the Nissan in the parking lot of a local Food Lion grocery store and saw Glover, wearing his work uniform, returning to the car , according to the release.
At police headquarters, Glover admitted to being on Senate Street at the time of the shooting, the solicitor’s office said. But Glover said he was using his phone when the Nissan was stopped, and it was the passenger, Williams, who got out of the vehicle and shot Brown, according to the release.
Further investigation uncovered surveillance footage that showed Williams and Glover, both 20 at the time of Brown’s death, walking to and from the Nissan in Five Points shortly before the shooting, the solicitor’s office said. Additionally, forensic analysis of evidence collected at the crime scene was later linked to evidence collected at Williams’ home, according to the release.
Arrests
Glover was charged with murder and armed robbery on Oct. 7, 2020, according to police, who said they were searching for Williams. But Williams, who USC officials confirmed was a student for one semester in 2020, had left for Florida, according to the solicitor’s office.
Williams returned to South Carolina and surrendered to law enforcement officers, the solicitor’s office said. Richland County court records show Williams was arrested Oct. 8, 2020, when he was charged with murder, armed robbery and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
The armed robbery and weapons charges were not prosecuted, and the murder charge became the voluntary manslaughter charge that Williams pleaded guilty to, according to court records.
Justin Seay, Matt McCoy, and Nicolas Fortner led the investigation for the Columbia Police Department, according to the release.
Circuit Deputy Solicitor Dan Goldberg and Assistant Solicitor Paul Walton prosecuted the case against Williams for the solicitor’s office. Columbia attorney Jack Swerling was listed as Williams’ lawyer, according to court records.
Glover is listed on the inmate roster at Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, where he’s still being held without bond, jail records show. Both the murder and armed robbery charges against Glover are pending, according to jail records.
Mount Pleasant attorney Veronica Small was listed as Glover’s attorney, court records show.
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This story was originally published June 29, 2025 at 12:36 PM with the headline "Ex-USC student goes to prison for killing man visiting Columbia, officials say."
