Jared Tierce (WHNS).
A South Carolina man is headed to prison for decades after he choked a man with a ratchet strap until he "heard a pop" before he and a friend wrapped the body in a rug, stuffed it in a shopping cart and dumped it near a golf course.
Jared Tierce, 25, was sentenced Monday to 33 years behind bars after he pleaded guilty to murder in the death of 35-year-old Phillip Hughey.
Hughey disappeared on Aug. 20, 2023, from the Williamston area, the Anderson County Sheriff's Office said at the time. Cops spoke with witnesses who said they believed there was "more to the story" and that Hughey had been murdered.
Two days later, cops found the victim's body along Cox Lake Road in Belton with "several evident traumatic injuries." Cops arrested Tierce and Jacob Barber, now 25.
Prosecutors said Tierce and Barber held Hughey hostage, binding him with zip ties, according to a courtroom report from local Fox affiliate WHNS. But Hughey momentarily escaped.
"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."
The suspects then wrapped Hughey's body in a rug and placed it in a shopping cart. They later ditched the body near the golf course. The ratchet strap was still wrapped around Hughey's neck.
With credit for three years already served, Tierce could be out in 30 years. Hughey's mother told the TV station that while Tierce could become a free man, "my son is gone forever." Several family members attended the hearing and wore light blue shirts in Hughey's honor.
"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 courtroom, where she was surrounded by supporters. "This is not justice."
Barber's case is still active. His next court hearing is set for Nov. 20.
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