Search for murder suspect prompts closure in Newberry Co.

NEWBERRY COUNTY, S.C. (WOLO) – An early morning murder in Laurens County prompted an extensive search and closure of U.S. Highway 76 in Newberry County, sheriff’s deputies said.

The Newberry County Sheriff’s Office said the suspect in a murder in Laurens County was thought to be at a residence in Newberry County. The suspect was threatening to take his own life or commit suicide by COP, which prompted a response from the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office Critical Incident Response Team and members of SLED.

Due to safety concerns, two neighboring homes were evacuated. A section of C.R. Koon Highway from Boyd Crossing Rd. to Colony Church Rd. was closed around 3:30 am.

Sheriff Lee Foster said that Sheriff CIRT and SLED agents surrounded the home in the 13000 block of C.R. Koon Highway, where a vehicle thought to belong to the suspect was located. About an hour into the negotiation operation, the suspect turned himself into Laurens County deputies.

Sheriff’s investigators believe the suspect had been at the residence on C.R. Koon Highway at some point after the murder, prompting forensic investigators to process the scene.

Traffic on C.R. Koon resumed prior to 6 a.m., but Deputies and SLED Agents remained on scene through the afternoon collecting evidence.