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Nine South Carolina teens were arrested in the June shooting death of a 16-year-old who authorities say was involved in an argument “over a girl” with his alleged shooter, according to local reports. The victim’s 17-year-old girlfriend is among the suspects.
Florence County Sheriff’s deputies found Trey Dean Wright of Johnsonville dead on First Neck Road with multiple gunshot wounds June 24, authorities said previously. He was found about 45 miles west of Myrtle Beach.
The following day, they arrested Devan Scott Raper, a 19-year-old from Conway, who allegedly fatally shot Wright after an argument. At least one teen involved reportedly recorded the slaying on video. And deputies continued to announce new arrests for weeks as the investigation dug deeper.
“All this court hearing and bond court and stuff is driving me crazy,” Wright’s mother, Ashley Lindsey, told Fox News Digital. “I don’t even have time to sit down and think half the time, on top of losing my precious baby.”
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Nine Myrtle Beach-area teens were charged in the shooting death of Johnsonville, S.C., 16-year-old Trey Wright. From left: Corrine Belviso, Devan Raper, Gianna Helene Kistenmacher, Hunter Kendall and Sydney Kearns. (Background: iStock, Insets: Florence County Sheriff’s Office)
Now, an entire group of teens, many of them juveniles, are facing charges, some for allegedly setting Wright up and bringing Raper to the victim’s location, knowing he was armed, according to authorities.
One of the suspects was Wright’s girlfriend, Gianna Kistenmacher, a Myrtle Beach 17-year-old, his mother said.
Kistenmacher was charged with being an accessory before the fact for allegedly bringing Raper to the crime scene knowing he was both armed and likely to kill her boyfriend, according to a press release from the sheriff’s office.
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office did not immediately return a call seeking comment from Fox News Digital Wednesday. Prosecutors confirmed that nine teens had been charged but declined to comment further, citing the ongoing investigation.
Pictured in an undated photograph posted to GoFundMe after his shooting death is Trey Wright, a 16-year-old from Johnsonville, S.C. Police have charged nine Myrtle Beach-area teens, including his girlfriend and a romantic rival, in the slaying. (GoFundMe)
“They were complicit in bringing the armed codefendant, Raper, to the incident location and knowing that there would be a confrontation,” Maj. Michael Nunn of the Florence County Sheriff’s Office told WBTW-TV, which is based in Florence. “They knew that Raper had presented a firearm to the victim and made threats to shoot him, according to the arrest warrants.”
He told the Post and Courier separately that, under state law, all five are charged as adults.
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Prosecutors filed additional murder charges against three more Myrtle Beach-area teens, identified as 18-year-olds Hunter Kendall and Corrine Belviso and 17-year-old Sydney Kearns, according to WBTW.
Beachgoers near the Myrtle Beach pier in South Carolina in a file photo. Nine local teens were charged in the shooting death of a 16-year-old from nearby Johnsonville, including his girlfriend. (iStock)
“The hand of one being the hand of all is part of South Carolina law as well, so that’s the basis of the charge for each of those individuals,” Nunn told the station.
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Sheriff T.J. Joye told the station separately that the fatal shooting appeared to have stemmed from an argument and apparent romantic rivalry.
“They had issues with each other, and it was over a female,” he reportedly said. “The sad thing is, you got a 16-year-old that lost his life. You’ve got a 19-year-old who is going to be in jail the rest of his life. Over what?”
Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. Nine teens were charged in the shooting death of a 16-year-old boy, including his girlfriend and a 19-year-old romantic rival. (iStock)
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Raper faces charges of murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime and is being held without bond.
Kendall is also being held without bond.
Belviso and Kearns each posted $20,000 surety bonds last week and have been released pending a trial.