Man Sentenced to Prison for Killing Girlfriend and Burying Her

A South Carolina man will spend the rest of his life in prison after being convicted of killing his girlfriend and concealing her body beneath a backyard firepit for roughly two years.

Sheridan Dirk Fogle, 56, was found guilty of murder Thursday and sentenced to life in prison for the death of 51-year-old Penni Whiteside. Authorities said Fogle killed Whiteside in March or April 2022. Her remains were discovered at his Myrtle Beach home in June 2024.

According to an arrest warrant obtained by local ABC affiliate WPDE, the investigation began after Fogle told neighbors he had buried “something” in the backyard. He reportedly became “territorial of the area” whenever anyone approached the firepit.

Investigators secured a search warrant and excavated the area around the firepit. They found a wooden box containing human remains that were later identified as Whiteside. Authorities determined that she had been strangled.

During the trial, prosecutors played video of Fogle’s police interview following his arrest. In the recording, he claimed Whiteside had “come at him” with a knife, according to a courtroom report by local NBC affiliate WMBF.

“I grabbed her by the throat, she hit the floor … by the time it was over, I panicked, I didn’t know what else to do,” he said in the video.

Fogle also told police that he “got high” after the killing.

“Then I put her in the box, and I kept the box in the house for like two days … it took me like three days to get all that done,” he said.

The box had been custom-built for Fogle by his grandfather as a keepsake, WMBF reported.

Fogle told investigators that Whiteside’s body remained inside the home when another man stayed overnight and discussed the possibility of becoming his roommate.

“I was still trying to act like everything was normal,” Fogle said in the recording. “I didn’t know what to do with this body in my [expletive] bedroom.”

Fogle testified in his own defense during the trial.

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“I get angry, and I snap … and I say things that I don’t normally do,” he testified, according to WPDE. “I lost it…I was in fear for my life.”

On cross-examination, prosecutor Nancy Livesay challenged Fogle’s claim of self-defense, asking how it fit with his statement that he had “snapped.”

“That’s different than self-defense, right?” Livesay asked.

Fogle maintained that his actions were defensive.

“I wouldn’t say that at all. I was trying to defend myself, and I blacked out, period,” he replied.

Whiteside’s brother reported her missing in May 2022, after which police questioned Fogle. He told investigators that Whiteside had left voluntarily.

“When you told police she said she was coming back for her stuff, that wasn’t true, was it?” Livesay asked.

“No ma’am,” Fogle replied.

Fogle said he had carried the burden of Whiteside’s killing for two years and eventually confessed because “it was time for it to come over.”

Livesay pointed out that he appeared to have continued with his life during that period.

“During the two years you struggled with this, while Penni was facedown in that box … you had remarried and moved to Orangeburg and started a new life. Is that correct?” she asked.

“Yes,” Fogle said.

Fogle also had a history of domestic violence involving Whiteside, including an arrest shortly before she disappeared, The Myrtle Beach Sun News reported. Police were called to their apartment in November 2021 after he allegedly punched her in the chest, causing her to fall, according to The Myrtle Beach Sun News. About a month later, he reportedly took her credit and debit cards.