Final defendant sentenced in 2020 murder of Bluffton man in Westbury Park
More than two years after the fatal kidnapping and armed robbery in Bluffton’s Westbury Park gated community, the final defendant in the case has been sentenced.
Jamal Coakley, 24, of Dale, S.C., who had previously pleaded guilty to attempted armed robbery, received a 10-year sentence followed by five years of probation. He was given credit for 786 days — more than two years — of time already served.
Malik White, 24, of Beaufort, who had also pleaded guilty and was previously sentenced to 15 years for armed robbery, appeared in court to request a reconsidered sentence. Beaufort County Judge Brooks P. Goldsmith denited the request.
“I respect the court’s ruling, but it really breaks my heart,” said Carolyn Carmody, White’s defense attorney, following the verdict. “He’s a really good man.”
These rulings on Jan. 18 came a month after Devante White, 28, was sentenced to 40 years for the murder of Timothy Milliken. Devante White was accused of pulling the trigger on Milliken, but claimed the gun “accidentally went off.” Of the four suspects, he was the only one convicted of murder.
Sarah Barr, 19, of Summerville, S.C., previously received a five-year suspended sentence followed by five years of probation for attempted armed robbery. Barr, who was 17 at the time of the incident, was used as bait to help the group gain access into the gated community.
Assistant Solicitor Trasi Campbell was the sole prosecutor for the four cases. Campbell is part of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office Career Criminal Unit, which prosecutes the Lowcountry’s “most violent and habitual offenders.”
The four convicts will serve their sentences at the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
Robbery, kidnapping, prostitution: What happened on Nov. 16, 2020?
All four sentences stem from the night of Nov. 16, 2020, when prosecutors say the four banded together for an attempted armed robbery in Bluffton’s Westbury Park gated community. The group never took anything — but the night ended with the death of Timothy Milliken, 45, a father of two, software engineer and longtime Bluffton resident.
The night’s events began with an ad for prostitution, which was presented as evidence during Devante White’s trial. Prior to the shooting, Milliken made online arrangements with Barr to “exchange sex for money,” according to Cpl. William Weich of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, the case’s lead investigator.
This allowed Barr to enter the gated community the night of Nov. 16. Milliken went outside the gates of the Westbury Park neighborhood and got in a car with Barr and Devante White. The three drove into the community and parked in Milliken’s driveway.
Milliken was unaware that Malik White and Coakley, who was holding a revolver, were hiding in the trunk of the car, Weich testified Tuesday.
Surveillance camera footage shows Devante White grabbing Milliken from behind, telling Milliken he was a police officer and that he was arresting him for soliciting a prostitute.
The group brought Milliken to the back door of the home, forcing him into the mudroom. Indoor surveillance footage shows Milliken trying to push Devante White out of the house.
After a brief struggle in the doorway, Milliken is shot and can be seen falling to the floor — next to his family’s dog. A witness from Beaufort County EMS testified that the dog later became “aggressive” and prevented first responders from accessing Milliken’s body for nearly an hour.
Immediately after shots were fired, the four suspects fled the neighborhood.
