Woman’s naked body found in SC woods led to conviction of ‘monstrous’ murder, official says
Four years after a woman’s naked body was found dumped in the woods, a Midlands man was convicted on a murder charge, the 1st Circuit Solicitor’s Office said.
Kenneth “K.C.” Henry Eastwood, a 72-year-old Eutawville resident, was convicted of murdering 34-year-old Cara Hodges of Asheboro, North Carolina, the solicitor’s office said Monday in a news release. Asheboro is in between Charlotte and Raleigh, about 80 miles from both cities.
After it took a jury about an hour to find him guilty, Eastwood was sentenced to life in prison, according to the release. He was convicted on Nov. 9, Orangeburg County court records show.
Hodges was killed in December 2019, the solicitor’s office said. The North Carolina woman came to Eutawville to visit her father, and while in town she met Eastwood on Dec. 8, 2019, at Fishtales bar on S.C. 6/Old Number Six Highway, according to the release.
She left the bar with Eastwood, and four days later, on Dec. 12, 2019, her naked body was found in a wooded area on County Line Road, the solicitor’s office said. That’s about 7 miles from the bar near Lake Marion and about 5 miles from where the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office said that Eastwood lived.
Hodges had been strangled, and she was pronounced dead on the scene, Orangeburg County Chief Deputy Coroner Sean Fogle said in 2019. Prosecutors did not provide information about a motive behind the killing.
On Dec. 13, 2019, Eastwood was interviewed by sheriff’s deputies, according to the release. Initially, he denied knowing anything about Hodges’ disappearance or death, according to the release.
The following morning, Eastwood told a coworker that he had strangled Hodges and left her body on the side of a road, the solicitor’s office said. After the coworker alerted law enforcement, Eastwood confessed to deputies and was arrested, according to the release. Evidence corroborated Eastwood’s confession, the solicitor’s office said.
“I choked her. I used an electrical cord. I choked her too much, I guess. She died” inside his home, Eastwood said in the confession, the Orangeburg Times & Democrat reported. “I just panicked. I put her down somewhere.”
The prosecution went to trial despite Eastwood’s confession to law enforcement.
“I would like to thank the jury for their service and this verdict that holds Mr. Eastwood accountable for his monstrous crime,” Deputy Solicitor Tommy Scott said in the release. “While there were several delays that were out of our control in bringing this case to trial, we hope this verdict brings some closure to the victim’s family.”
Assistant Solicitor Catherine Hunter led Eastwood’s prosecution, with the help of Deputy Solicitor Tommy Scott and Assistant Solicitor Mark Hinds, according to the release. Mount Pleasant attorney Ashley Cornwell represented Eastwood, Orangeburg County court records show.
