Three arrested in death of 15-year-old Columbia girl, with charges including murder
Law enforcement has found a teenager they were searching for and charged him with eight offenses, including murder, in connection with the death of a 15-year-old Columbia girl and a separate incident.
The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department charged 18-year-old Treveon Nelson of Cayce with murder, kidnapping, criminal conspiracy and two weapon offenses, court records showed. Deputies arrested him Friday evening in Leesville.
Along with Nelson, two minors were charged with murder, kidnapping, criminal conspiracy and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, the sheriff’s department said Saturday.
The sheriff’s department said the minor’s names will not be released because they are under the age of 18.
One of the minors, a male, was arrested earlier in the week in connection with the Columbia teen’s kidnapping and death. He is being held at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Richland County.
On Friday, the sheriff’s department said it also arrested a female juvenile who is being held at the state’s juvenile prison in Columbia.
The victim, Sanaa Amenhotep, of northeast Columbia, was reported missing by her mother on April 5. The Richland County Sheriff’s Department investigated her disappearance. Her father began canvassing for his missing daughter.
Sanaa’s body was found Thursday morning in a wooded area off Rish Drive in Leesville in Lexington County, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said. She was killed by multiple gunshots, likely on April 5, Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher said.
Nelson and the two minors lured Sanaa into a stolen car, where she was held as they traveled from her northeast Columbia home to a field in Leesville, where they are accused of fatally shooting Sanaa, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department said.
The Richland County Sheriff’s Department charged the male minor with kidnapping Wednesday, Sheriff Leon Lott said at a Thursday news conference. He also announced at that time that police were looking for at least one more teenager and Nelson, who Lott said was responsible for Sanaa’s death.
According to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, Sanaa probably left her home voluntarily with another teen girl she knew and the two males. During the course of that night, Lott said, the situation turned into a kidnapping, and that’s when she was “murdered.” Lott said the case involved gang activity.
On Saturday, Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said that “the suspects knew Sanaa and they all know each other.”
“This is a complex and multilayered investigation,” Koon said. “Over the past few days, we talked a lot with the two minors as we were searching for Nelson. Based on information from those interviews, detectives determined there was probable cause to arrest the teens. Nelson was arrested in this case as soon as we found him Friday evening.”
Sanaa was a ninth grader at Richland Northeast High School, according to the Richland 2 school district. “Our collective hearts are heavy with sympathy,” a district spokesperson said.
In March, police charged Nelson with domestic violence and unlawfully carrying a pistol, court records showed. He got out of jail on a $7,000 bond. Court records report that Nelson failed to show up for a hearing for his domestic violence charge.
The Springdale Police Department also charged Nelson in a separate incident that happened April 25. The department charged him with rape, kidnapping and aggravated assault. Police have not disclosed details about that incident.
Nelson is currently jailed at Lexington County Detention Center. A magistrate judge denied him bond on Saturday, according to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.
The death penalty could be on the table if the state is able to prove Sanaa was kidnapped and killed. The death penalty only applies to homicides with aggravating factors, including if the killing was done along with another crime such as kidnapping.
This story has been updated.
