LAURENS, S.C. (AP) - Authorities say a man who has been in a South Carolina prison for 14 years orchestrated the killing of a 27-year-old woman.
Laurens County Sheriff Don Reynolds said eight people have been charged in connection with the kidnapping and death of Michelle Dodge last month. The charges range from murder to kidnapping to accessory to conspiracy.
Authorities say Dodge was found dead with a gunshot to the back of her head.
Reynolds said in a statement that 31-year-old James Peterson arranged the killing. Peterson was sentenced to 30 years in prison for murder in a 2005 killing during a drug deal in Cherokee County.
The sheriff’s statement didn’t say why Dodge was killed and he didn’t respond Thursday to emailed questions.
Dodge was from York County.
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