A South Carolina man, aged 34, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for the murder of his wife’s lover, following a shocking incident in a courthouse parking lot. The man, Stephen “Andrew” White, resorted to extreme violence after discovering he was not the biological father of his wife’s daughter.

White admitted guilt to charges of murder and firearm possession during a crime, leading to the death of 34-year-old Erin Lee Thomas outside the Laurens County Courthouse. The sentencing was handed down by a judge on Monday, as reported by the 8th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

According to a broadcast by local Fox affiliate WHNS, the tragedy unfolded on August 12, 2024, following a legal hearing involving White’s wife and the child she had with Thomas.

Prosecutors revealed that the hearing concluded without any significant conflict or argument. However, after leaving the courthouse, White allegedly drove his car into Thomas, who was standing in the parking lot, resulting in a broken leg.

After the collision, White retrieved a firearm from a diaper bag and attempted to shoot Thomas. Initially, the gun jammed, but White managed to clear it and subsequently shot Thomas fatally. Following the shooting, White surrendered to law enforcement officers.

During the court proceedings, White’s defense attorney, Chelsea B. McNeill, explained to the judge that White experienced a moment of intense emotional turmoil upon learning the truth about his paternity, leading to the violent outburst.

“One of the worst things that can happen to a father … other than to find out that your child is deceased is to find out that the child you thought was your own was actually not your own,” McNeill said. “Andrew’s wife had an affair with Erin prior to them getting married. She came clean about that affair and he chose to forgive her. What he didn’t know is she had resumed that relationship with Erin and became pregnant with Erin’s child.”

But prosecutors noted that White learned about the child’s paternity roughly a year before the fatal encounter. They also said the victim was immobilized after he was hit by a car and unable to escape because of a broken leg when White shot him dead.

“This was a calculated and deeply personal act of violence that unfolded in a place where families are supposed to find peaceful resolution to disputes — not further heartache and tragedy,” 8th Circuit Solicitor David M. Stumbo said in a statement. “Stephen White chose to maliciously take a life in the place that many of us come to work to serve the public every day and in the process took two father figures — the victim and himself — out of the life of an innocent child permanently.”

At sentencing, Thomas’ grandmother, Kay McMahan Trotter, spoke about how close she was with her grandson. He loved being a father, she said.

“Fatherhood wasn’t just a label to Erin, it became his most important position in life,” she said, adding that he provided financial assistance to White and his wife so that his daughter could have a good home. “Erin deserved gratitude, not a bullet.”