Sheriff: Lexington County man a victim in murder-suicide
GASTON, S.C. (AP) — Lexington County authorities say a man killed at his Gaston home last month was a victim in a murder-suicide.
The coroner's office earlier this week said 79-year-old Gustave Adolph Hartner had been killed. His body was found April 27 and was identified through x-rays.
Sheriff Jay Koon told local media Thursday that Hartner's caregiver had killed the man. Koon said 62-year-old Robert Lee Henderson Jr. was found dead in Hartner's vehicle in Wilson County, North Carolina, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound April 29. Henderson had children in Wilson County.
Investigators said Henderson left a note explaining his involvement in Hartner's death. Koon said the men had argued April 12 and Hartner was beaten and died. His body was found when neighbors reported they had not seen the men.
Lawyer suspended 3 years for sexual activities with client
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina Supreme Court suspended a Columbia lawyer who had sex with a married man for years while representing the man and his wife in more than 20 legal actions.
The State of Columbia reports the Supreme Court released a 7-page opinion Wednesday, which said Kay Paschal accepted a 3-year suspension. Paschal admitted to the secret relationship, which started in 1984.
The Supreme Court says Paschal earned about $87,000 in fees from the couple, took personal gifts from the husband and participated in investments with him. The release also says when the husband's wife died in 2001, Paschal and the man were close companions and had a live-in sexual relationship that continued until 2011.
First sea turtle nests of the season reported in SC
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — The first sea turtle nests of the season have been found on South Carolina beaches.
Media outlets report that 17 nests have been found so far this month, most of them in Beaufort County. The Department of Natural Resources reports that the first recorded nest was laid on Botany Island on May 1. Wildlife officials expect thousands of nests along the state's shoreline this summer.
"It's like finding buried treasure," Janie Lackman, leader of the Fripp Island Turtle Team who has found three nests on the island since Tuesday.
When a nest is found, it is reported to the Department of Natural Resources and staked off so that it's not disturbed.
Nests typically have about 120 eggs; one is typically used for a DNA research project to help track female turtles' nesting habits each year, Lackman said.
During nesting season, residents are asked to keep lights off along the beach at night. The lights can confuse the hatchlings as they are trying to make their way back to the ocean.
Last year, 2,080 turtle nests were found across the state, down from the 2013 total of 5,195.