AIKEN - Two men were sentenced to 22 years in prison this morning for robbing and murdering a man in 2008.
Matthew Lamar Jackson, 22, of Springfield, and Tyrone Akeem Gleaton, 19, of Wagener, pled guilty to armed robbery and voluntary manslaughter in General Sessions Court, but neither admitted shooting 19-year-old Marquez Tyler.
Tyler's decomposed body was found in a swamp area near Windsor in February 2009, said Assistant Solicitor David Miller. He had been missing since November 2008. Both Jackson and Gleaton denied any involvement in the robbery or murder initially, Miller said.
They both later admitted to robbing Tyler, and blamed each other for shooting Tyler in the head with a rifle during the robbery.
Jackson and Gleaton will serve a suspended seven year sentence for the manslaughter charge, and 15 years for the armed robbery with the sentences running consecutively.
This is to correct a few of the comments & misunderstandings. Marquez's parents DID NOT agree to the plea agreement. The mother was notified of the agreement friday afternoon and she had to appear in court monday morning. Please find time to google Marquez Tyler and read the stories. It's a shame when you put your trust in the justice system and end up disappointed. I guess you can say South Carolina is giving murders and convicted DUI drivers second chances. What messages are we sending out. Lock up the drug dealers and throw away the key. But if you kill (or almost) kill someone you deserve another chance?
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