Chester SC man found guilty of murder, dumping body in rural area to conceal crime.

A South Carolina man was sentenced to 45 years in prison Thursday after a Chester County jury found him guilty of murder in a shooting where the victim was found dumped in woods, officials said.

Kenneth Tyrone Wherry, 47, was convicted of fatally shooting Antonio Rowvan Thompson, 41, said Randy Newman 6th Circuit Solicitor.

South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Paul Burch sentenced Wherry after a three-day trial in Chester, prosecutors said. Wherry was convicted of murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, said Candice Lively, the 6th Circuit Deputy Solicitor who prosecuted the case.

Thompson’s body was found Feb. 27, 2021 in a rural area of northern Chester County south of Rock Hill, officials said. Chester County Sheriff’s Office deputies and prosecutors said he was shot in the head, then the body was hidden in an attempt to cover up the crime.

Thompson had asked for help starting a disabled car, then was shot and robbed by Wherry so Wherry could get money for crack cocaine, Lively said after the verdict was announced.

Chester County Sheriff Max Dorsey, who vowed to combat shootings and drug crimes when he took office in 2019, praised deputies and prosecutors.

“Our team of investigators and the solicitor’s office worked diligently to collect evidence and convey it to the jury,” Dorsey said after the trial. “The jury verdict gives a voice to the victim and I pray this helps the family heal.”

Dorsey, a State Law Enforcement Division drug agent for two decades before he became sheriff, said his office will continue to fight illegal drugs and the violence that often result from drugs.

“This is another example of the destruction of lives due to the use and abuse of illegal drugs,” Dorsey said. “This senseless killing will impact the family of the victim for decades.”