In a significant turn of events, a three-judge panel of the South Carolina Court of Appeals has overturned the high-profile murder conviction and 30-year prison sentence of Kierin Dennis, a former Lexington High School graduate. Dennis, now 29, was convicted in 2019 of fatally stabbing Da’Von Capers, a 17-year-old student from rival Dutch Fork High School, following a heated 2014 basketball game.
The incident, which took place in the parking lot of a Cook Out restaurant in Lexington, shocked the community and underscored the potential dangers of high school rivalries escalating into violence. At the time of the stabbing, Dennis was 18 years old and claimed he acted in self-defense when surrounded by a mob of shouting Dutch Fork students. Capers was fatally stabbed in the chest as he reached into Dennis’ vehicle.
Dennis was tried twice for the crime. His first trial in 2016 ended in a hung jury, and he was convicted at his second trial in 2019. However, Dennis argued in his appeal that he was entitled to a pretrial hearing under South Carolina’s “Stand Your Ground Act” to determine if he should be granted immunity in the killing. The Court of Appeals agreed with Dennis, ruling that the denial of this hearing before his second trial was sufficient grounds to reverse his conviction.
“It is well-settled in South Carolina law that once there is a mistrial in a case, you should start all over. And he was not allowed to start all over,” said Rep. Todd Rutherford, D-Richland, who represented Dennis at both trials. “The Court of Appeals got it right; it was a solid ruling.”
The panel of judges, consisting of Paula Thomas, Aphrodite Konduros, and John Geathers, unanimously ruled in favor of overturning the conviction and ordered a new immunity hearing for Dennis. This decision reopens a case that has already attracted significant attention due to the implications it has for the application of South Carolina’s “Stand Your Ground” law.
Currently incarcerated at the Evans Correctional Institution in Marlboro County, Dennis has no disciplinary infractions on his record and was scheduled for release in 2049. The S.C. Attorney General’s office is now reviewing the case to determine what, if any, further actions will be taken at the appeal level.
This case highlights the ongoing debate surrounding the “Stand Your Ground” law, which was enacted by the S.C. General Assembly in 2006 to provide immunity from prosecution and civil action in specific circumstances involving the use of deadly force. As the legal battles continue, the impact of this ruling on similar cases in South Carolina remains to be seen.
Stay with Crime and Cask News as we continue to follow this developing story and its broader implications for the justice system in South Carolina.
