22-year-old man gets 50 years in prison for killing teen
CAMDEN, S.C. (AP) — A 22-year-old man is being sentenced to 50 years in prison after admitting he kidnapped, raped and killed an 18-year-old woman during a drug-fueled attack.
Media outlets reported Stephen Kelly pleaded guilty Monday in Kershaw County to all charges against him just before his trial was going to start.
Investigators say Kelly cut Briana Rabon’s clothes from her body before attacking and strangling her. Authorities say the victim’s body was covered with bruises when she was found by children playing on a dirt road near Elgin. One investigator says the crime was too brutal to put into words.
Kelly attorney apologized on his client’s behalf to Rabon’s family. Kelly says he wishes every day he had let Rabon live. Kelly’s mother says drugs ruined her son’s life.
