Crime & Public Safety
Prosecutors Review Jail Letters in Burgess-area 2025 Homicide Case
Prosecutors in Horry County are reviewing jail correspondence connected to a 2025 homicide in the Burgess community, where a woman is charged with death her ex-husband. In a recent hearing the defense asked the state to turn over discovery the solicitors’ office has obtained, including multiple letters the defendant allegedly sent while in custody.
Solicitor’s office personnel told the court an unnamed woman who met the defendant at J Reuben Long Detention Center contacted prosecutors after her release and said she had retained letters the defendant had sent her. The solicitor’s office said it then obtained those letters from jail officials. Defense counsel said he had received only two documents and questioned whether one was intended for the supposed informant or was a personal note the defendant had written to herself.
The solicitor’s office also told the court that the unnamed woman’s own charges were dismissed before she delivered the letters to authorities. A spokesperson for the solicitor’s office confirmed the letters are not considered evidence in the case at this time. The same hearing record shows a competency exam requested in July 2026 found the defendant competent to stand trial.
The matter remains in pretrial proceedings: lawyers continue to dispute the scope of discovery and the provenance of the jail letters, and the defendant’s trial is set for November 2026, per court filings disclosed at the hearing.
All individuals accused of a crime are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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All individuals mentioned in criminal allegations are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.