Solicitor to pursue death penalty in killing of Spartanburg County deputy Austin Aldridge

Seventh Circuit Solicitor Barry Barnette has filed a notice of seeking the death penalty against Duane Leslie Heard in the shooting death of Spartanburg County deputy Austin Derek Aldridge.

The notification was given to the Spartanburg County Clerk of Court’s Office on Thursday.

Heard, 63, is charged with murder in the shooting death of Aldridge on Tuesday, June 21. The Sheriff's Office said Aldridge was responding to a domestic call at 3:20 p.m. on Chaffee Road in the Oak Forest subdivision.

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Aldridge, 25, was shot as he approached the residence on Chaffee Road, according to a statement from the Sheriff's Office.

Heard later was shot twice by deputies as he tried to flee. The Sheriff's Office said he was expected to live.

The Spartanburg County Coroner's Office pronounced Aldridge dead later that evening on June 21.

The solicitor's notice states that Heard's trial will be set at a time and date 30 days after Heard and his attorneys have received written notice of the state pursuing the death penalty.

Scheduling will be handled through the court and by the Clerk’s Office.

Candlelight vigils were held after Aldridge's death. Fundraisers also are being held for his family. Aldridge's wife Jessica Link Aldridge is expecting their first child in February 2023, according to his obituary.

Aldridge was born in Greenville County on May 20, 1997, graduated from Wren High School in 2016 and attended North Greenville University. He graduated from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy in 2019 and began his law enforcement career with the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office on April 8, 2019.

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Solicitor seeks death penalty in killing of Spartanburg County deputy