Woman’s killer going to prison after guilty plea, Columbia police say
A year after a woman was fatally shot, her killer is going to prison, according to the Columbia Police Department.
Barbara Ann Dinkins, a 48-year-old Columbia resident, was shot and killed on Mother’s Day in 2023, police said. A day later, on May 15, Elijah L. Lindsay was arrested, according to police.
Police said the 44-year-old Columbia resident was charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime when he was taken into custody last year. But on Tuesday, as a trial was set to begin, he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, Richland County court records show.
Lindsay was sentenced to a 15-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter, according to court records.
Information about Lindsay’s plea bargain was not available.
The deadly shooting
The 2023 shooting happened in the 2500 block of Orr Street, police said. That’s near the intersection with Two Notch Road, about half a mile from C.A. Johnson High School.
Lindsay’s address is listed on Orr Street, court records show.
Officers responding to the shooting found an unresponsive Dinkins inside the home, according to police.
No other injuries were reported.
The next night, police said Lindsay was taken into custody by its officers as well as members of the U.S. Marshals Service. Lindsay was found at a gas station on West Beltline Boulevard, according to police. That’s about a mile from the crime scene.
Police said the shooting “was deemed as an isolated domestic-related incident.”
Further information about Lindsay’s relationship with the victim was not available, and there was no word what instigated the incident that led to the shooting.
Remembering the victim
A Columbia native who was the general manager at a KFC for 20 years, Dinkins was survived by her husband, mother, brother, daughter and grandson among other family members, according to an obituary shared by Leevy’s Funeral Home.
On May 20, 2023, a funeral service was held for Dinkins, who was known as “Beazo,” by those close to her, according to the obituary.
“Everyone loved her outgoing personality,” the obituary said. “Everywhere Barbara went, she wore that big beautiful smile, that most will remember about her. ... She was always the life of the party!”
