Jared Tierce (WHNS).
A South Carolina man has been sentenced to more than three decades in prison after admitting that he strangled another man with a ratchet strap, heard a “pop” and later helped wrap the body in a rug, place it in a shopping cart and abandon it near a golf course.
Jared Tierce, 25, received a 33-year prison sentence Monday after pleading guilty to the murder of 35-year-old Phillip Hughey.
Hughey disappeared from the Williamston area on Aug. 20, 2023, the Anderson County Sheriff”s Office said at the time. Investigators spoke with witnesses who suspected there was “more to the story” and believed Hughey had been killed.
Two days later, authorities discovered Hughey’s body along Cox Lake Road in Belton. Investigators reported finding “several evident traumatic injuries.” Tierce and Jacob Barber, who is also 25, were arrested in connection with the case.
Prosecutors said Tierce and Barber had held Hughey captive and restrained him with zip ties, according to a courtroom report by local Fox affiliate WHNS. Hughey eventually managed to break free for a short time.
“He’d broken out of the restraints,” Tierce reportedly told the court. “I went over there with a ratchet strap, pulled him off of [Barber], heard a pop and threw him to the ground.”
Tierce and Barber then covered Hughey’s body with a rug and put it inside a shopping cart before leaving it near the golf course. The ratchet strap remained around Hughey’s neck.
Tierce has already spent three years behind bars, leaving him eligible for release in about 30 years. Hughey’s mother told the television station that although Tierce may eventually regain his freedom, “my son is gone forever.” Several relatives attended the hearing wearing light blue shirts in Hughey’s memory.
“I feel like I’ve been robbed, but I feel loved. The 30 years is not fair with what this monster is doing,” his mother, Millie Counts, said outside the courthouse as supporters surrounded her. “This is not justice.”
Barber’s case remains pending. His next court hearing is scheduled for Nov. 20.
