Local Radar

Woman found murdered, husband charged
web posted February 21, 2006

Below: Edgefield County Sheriff Adell Dobey  talks with his Deputies
Click on photo for larger view    EdgefieldDaily.com Photo
COUNTY – The grim discovery of a woman found dead at her home has ben ruled a homicide The Edgefield County Sheriff's Office said. Around 3:00 pm Monday afternoon, Deputy Curtis Morris was responding to a call of a drunken driver on Highway 378 East near the intersection of Highway 430 when a woman stopped to inform him of the discovery of a body. Edgefield County Investigators were called and arrived on the scene to find the woman dead and two small children still in the home. South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED)  Forensic Units were also called to the scene.

Below: Sheriff Dobey talks with Coroner Burnett
EdgefieldDaily.com Photo
Edgefield County Sheriff’s Public Information Officer Cpl. Robbie Harter said Coroner Thurmond Burnett pronounced the woman, 25-year-old Gwendolyn D. Wilson, dead on the scene. The home, located at 1263 Highway 378 East, just a half mile from the Saluda County line, was cordoned off with crime scene tape as family members began arriving.

According to Cpl. Harter it was Mrs. Wilson’s mother who discovered the body. Friends who gathered at the scene said the two boys, ages 3 and 9, were found sitting in the room just looking at their mother. The phones lines had apparently been cut preventing the children from calling for help. Reports state at least one of the children witnessed the attack.

The cause of death has not been released at this time and Investigators have not retrieved the murder weapon Cpl. Harter said. The woman's husband, Maurice Wilson, 32, was taken into custody Monday night around 8:00 pm in Laurens County and has been charged with the murder. Additional charges could be pending the outcome of the investigation. Mr. Wilson was transported back to Edgefield County by Chief Investigator Randy Doran to be booked into the Edgefield County Detention Center around 11:30 pm Monday night.

Cpl. Harter said the homicide occurred “sometime in the last 24 hours” and added that the exact time of death would not be available until an autopsy has been completed in Newberry, which is scheduled for 9:30 am Tuesday morning. Indications were the homicide happened the night before.

The murder is the first in Edgefield County this year and comes on the heels of the release of yearly crimes statistics for the county, which showed no homicides for 2005.

EdgefieldDaily.com will continue to follow this breaking story and have more reports as information becomes available.
 

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