A man has been sentenced for attempted murder in connection with a 2023 shooting in downtown Spartanburg, according to the 7th Circuit Solicitor's Office. The case, reported Wednesday by FOX Carolina News, adds another entry to a string of violent crime prosecutions that have moved through Spartanburg County courts in recent years.
Details on the defendant's identity, the presiding judge, and the exact length of the sentence were not included in the initial report from FOX Carolina News. What is confirmed is that the shooting took place in 2023 in downtown Spartanburg, and that the case was prosecuted through the office of Solicitor Barry Barnette, who has served as the elected circuit solicitor for the 7th Judicial Circuit since 2011, overseeing felony prosecutions across Spartanburg and Cherokee counties, according to Spartanburg County.
Under South Carolina law, the charge carries serious weight regardless of how the sentence ultimately lands. South Carolina Code § 16-3-29 classifies attempted murder as a felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison, and the statute explicitly bars probation or suspended sentences for those convicted, according to Justia Law. The charge also counts as a violent offense and a strike under the state's “Two Strikes” repeat-offender law, which further restricts probation and early release options, as reported by the Post and Courier.
Recent Spartanburg Attempted Murder Sentences Show a Wide Range
This case joins a growing list of attempted murder prosecutions tied to Spartanburg County in recent years, with outcomes that vary dramatically depending on the facts of each case. In October 2025, Circuit Court Judge Patrick C. Fant III sentenced 24-year-old Kelbrez Antrial Stringer to 35 years in prison after a jury convicted him of attempted murder and weapons charges for firing more than 40 shots at his girlfriend's vehicle during an April 2023 incident, per court records cited by Spartanburg County.
At the harsher end of the spectrum, Special Circuit Court Judge Daniel E. Martin Jr. sentenced 32-year-old Cornelius Jerome Staggers to life in prison without parole in August 2023 after a Spartanburg jury convicted him of attempted murder, assault, and discharging a firearm into a vehicle, Spartanburg County says. On the other end, Circuit Court Judge David P. Caraker sentenced 20-year-old Spartanburg resident Chance Kenaz Benson to just 10 years in prison in June 2025 after Benson pleaded guilty to attempted murder for firing nearly 30 shots at law enforcement officers during a June 2023 incident in Myrtle Beach, the Post and Courier reported.
Violent Crime Remains a Focus for Spartanburg Police
The sentencing comes amid continued scrutiny of gun violence in Spartanburg. The Spartanburg Police Department's 2025 Crime Report recorded 367 violent crime incidents in the city that year, with aggravated assaults making up roughly 76% of those cases and 57% of those aggravated assaults involving a firearm, according to the City of Spartanburg. Even so, the report notes total violent crime in the city remained 2% below its 10-year historical average.
The city's police department is now under new leadership. The City of Spartanburg selected 38-year agency veteran Art Littlejohn as Chief of Police in August 2026 following a national candidate search, according to city records. Littlejohn previously commanded the department's Patrol Services Bureau and led its tactical team for more than two decades.
A Pattern of Serious Charges Across the Circuit
This case is one of several attempted murder prosecutions recently making headlines in the 7th Judicial Circuit. Hoodline previously reported on a teen shot during an argument that led to a 24-year-old facing an attempted murder charge, and Spartanburg prosecutors also announced in September that three suspects were arrested, with a fourth still sought, in connection with an August 2025 targeted drive-by shooting that killed 7-month-old Zymir Demarco Smith, according to a Facebook post from Fox Carolina News. Investigators recovered 17 shell casings from that scene.
Separately, Gaffney police charged two people with attempted murder in a downtown shooting last month, underscoring how frequently violent firearm cases are landing in Barnette's circuit this year. South Carolina also maintains no statute of limitations on felony prosecutions, meaning solicitors retain wide latitude to bring attempted murder charges years after an incident occurs, according to the Law Office of James R. Snell, Jr., LLC. Additional details about the defendant and sentence in this latest case are expected to surface as local court filings become available.
