Follow-up file: Jasper County boat landing case

Months after a woman was found unconscious and bound with zip ties near a remote riverbed in Jasper County, South Carolina, few further details have been released to the public about the subsequent investigation – or the prosecution of the four people charged in connection with the case.

There has been radio silence for weeks, although a memorandum quietly filed by prosecutors in the SC Second Circuit Solicitor’s office Bill Weeks stated that they would demand a life sentence without parole for one of the defendants.

Does this mean that Weeks is dropping the hammer for once? Or is this announcement simply an attempt to move the investigation forward?

On April 3, 2024 at approximately 2:50 p.m. EST, a person named Wesley Robertson — who was riding an ATV in the area — called 9-1-1 to report a shocking discovery: a naked, bound and beaten person lying motionless next to a boat ramp. When emergency responders arrived, they found the woman near the Corner Lake Boat Landing — a spillway that leads into the Coosawhatchie River.

“The resident reported it as male because they didn't get too close,” said a deputy sheriff with the Jasper County Sheriff's Office (JCSO). Jeff Crosby told FITSNews in April. “When we arrived on the scene, we found it was a female… she was lying on a patch of grass near the tree line.”

According to Lowcountry sources, the half-naked woman was taken to Hampton Medical Center and booked as an “unknown unknown.” She was then flown by helicopter to Savannah, Georgia, where she was identified by authorities shortly thereafter.

To date, the identity of the victim has not been made public…

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“The investigation immediately took us beyond county lines,” Crosby said at the time. “State investigators helped us from the beginning, and we had an investigator from the district attorney's office assisting them. We went as far as we could and as quickly as we could.”

As law enforcement flooded the area, disturbing details emerged. Investigators determined that the woman had been kidnapped and 74 miles in broad daylight. In the days that followed, the Barnwell County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) identified three suspects and obtained warrants for their arrest. On April 6, 2024, the SC Highway Patrol (SCHP) arrested Adrienne Burgen-Ginn31, on an arrest warrant for failure to appear in traffic court a week earlier. The self-employed “housekeeper” was charged for the second time with driving without a license.

While Ginn quickly $1,270 personal guarantee by the justice of the peace Tonya P. AlexanderThe notorious traffic offender remained “on hold” in the Hampton County Detention Center until April 24, 2024 – when she was charged with kidnapping. Ginn was released on parole. 15,000 US dollars Guarantee on June 17, 2024.

Following Ginn's arrest, the JCSO and Hampton County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) requested agents from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to take over their multi-agency investigation on Monday, April 8.

The investigation not only went beyond county lines, but also state lines, when two of the suspects – 30-year-old Jamaal Terrell Riley and 34 years old Kaila Terria Bostick – were arrested on Thursday, April 11, 2024, in Knox County, Indiana, by the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force (GLRFTF) of the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS).

The couple was returned to South Carolina and charged with kidnapping on April 29, 2024.

Riley and Bostick are currently being held without bail at the Barnwell County Detention Center.

On May 21, 2024, a fourth suspect – 42 years old Marquis Anthony Smith of Hampton, SC – was arrested and charged with aiding and abetting kidnapping. According to a probable cause affidavit attached to the arrest warrant, Smith took Bostick and Riley to Augusta International Airport in Augusta, Georgia on April 3, 2024. Smith also allegedly helped them rent a vehicle.

Smith was released from the Hampton County Detention Center on July 17, 2024, but no bail is listed in the public record.

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RELATED | G-SHINE BLOOD LISTED AS SUSPECT IN LOWCOUNTRY KIDNAPPING

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At this time, it is unknown what led to the kidnapping. It is also unclear if further charges will be filed.

On June 13, 2024 David W. Milleran assistant district attorney in the Second Judicial District, filed a notice of his office's intent to seek a sentence of life without the possibility of parole for Riley under South Carolina state law (§ 17-25-45), which provides for a sentence of life without the possibility of parole for certain repeat offenders.

Riley had already been convicted of kidnapping in 2012 – the verdict was upheld on appeal (.pdf).

On September 6, 2012, District Court Judge Clifton Newman sentenced Riley to 10 years for armed robbery, 10 years for kidnapping and five years for criminal conspiracy in connection with the robbery of a Barnwell supermarket on July 21, 2011. Riley unsuccessfully appealed the kidnapping charge, claiming he was merely serving as a minder for his three co-defendants.

After his conviction, Riley remained in the custody of the SC Department of Corrections (SCDC) until his release in September 2020. During his time at the SCDC, he received dozens of disciplinary actions and multiple allegations that he was threatened by gang members – including calls to prison officials from both of his parents, who said they feared for their son's safety (.pdf).

While his parents were raising these concerns, the detained 19-year-old apparently began posting on a Facebook page called “Jamaal G-Shine Ola Riley,” where he bragged about his alleged affiliation continuously for over a year.

“24 karat ass n****,” Riley wrote during his first prison status update on April 8, 2013. “I need a gangster bitch. I'm talking about a savage not an average, you heard… a big Trill5 salute to this damn n**** allstar. Lil 5 get ready or get two hammers and a vest.”

While arguing for “more murder, more manslaughter” during his appeal, Riley even went so far as to upload pictures on his phone of red bandanas showing off his tattoo of a five-pointed star – conventional symbols of allegiance to the Bloods gang.

“I work hard every day to achieve my goals,” Riley wrote after his appeal was swiftly dismissed on January 29, 2014. “Blood, sweat and tears, if that's what it takes to shine even brighter, let's make it 24 karats.”

After his release from SCDC custody, Riley racked up several drug offenses before suffering a “permanent disability” in a car accident on or about July 22, 2021, according to a lawsuit filed by Winston “Trip” Lawton III.

The former convict was subsequently listed as a “victim” on April 20, 2022, when his 2006 Acura TSX was loaned to Bostick and was involved in a chase with SCHP, according to an incident report from the Aiken County Sheriff's Office (ACSO).

Stay tuned to our media channel for further coverage as these cases move through the South Carolina justice system.

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NOTICE OF INTENT…

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

Jenn Wood is the unrivaled research director of FITSNews. She is also a producer of FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated Podcast and leading expert on everything related to the justice system in Murdaugh/South Carolina. Jenn Wood is a former private investigator with a degree in criminal justice. Criminals beware! Jenn Wood is anything but your average journalist! She is a deep researcher with a passion for the truth and a heart for victims. Mother of two is pretty much a superhero in the land of FITSNews. Did we mention she's married to a rocket scientist? (Lucky guy!) Do you have a story idea or tip for Jenn? Email her at [email protected].

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