2 arrested in death of 22-year-old West Columbia man

LEXINGTON, S.C. (AP) — Two people have been arrested in the death of a West Columbia who was missing for more than a week when his burned body was found in Orangeburg County.

Lexington County Sheriff Lewis McCarty tells local media outlets deputies have charged 26-year-old Michael Gene Sulier III with murder. Another man, 24-year-old Mark Christopher Hodges, is charged with accessory after the fact to murder.

The remains of 22-year-old Adam Berry were in a burned-out car discovered by a farmer March 7 in Orangeburg County. Berry hadn’t been seen for several days.

Authorities say Sulier shot Berry on March 4 and set his car on fire. Deputies say Hodges helped Sulier by giving him rides after the killing.

Both men were jailed, and it wasn’t known if they had attorneys.