Overview
- A Jasper County General Sessions jury on Thursday found Charles Saunders, 50, guilty of two counts of murder and two counts of possessing a weapon during a violent crime, leading to a life sentence.
- The convictions stem from the June 18, 2024 shootings of Alesia Dykes and Bernard Alexander Lyles at the Walsh Drive Apartments in Hardeeville.
- Investigators said an argument escalated when Saunders stepped into a doorway and fired a 9mm handgun as three young children were inside, with one child running to a nearby relative for help.
- Police reported recovering a discarded shirt that tested positive for gunshot residue, and officers arrested Saunders hours later at a Waffle House in Ridgeland after a tip and with help from Flock automated license-plate cameras.
- Authorities noted prior disputes and a video in which Saunders displayed firearms and issued threats, and prosecutors highlighted his earlier New York convictions including firearm possession and assault.