Michael Rian Torrence was born on April 15, 1961, in Pine Ridge, South Carolina. Torrence had a reported mean streak, and in 1987, he would ultimately snap. In early 1987, Donna Torrence was a topless dancer at a strip club called “The Carriage House,” near Fort Jackson. Donna was married to Michael’s brother, Thomas John…
The Cold Case of Brooke Leigh Henson in Travelers Rest
On July 4, 1999, Brooke Leigh Henson went missing from Travelers Rest, South Carolina. It is believed that her boyfriend at the time, along with several other persons of interest, is suspected to be the last people to have seen Brooke. In April 2025, a task force was established to locate Henson. Twenty-six years may…
The Cold Case of Cora Campbell in Rock Hill
Rock Hill, South Carolina resident, Cora Campbell, was found deceased in her home in December 2012 on S. Jones Avenue. At the time, Campbell was 76 years old, and her case remains cold. Terrance Staley, who worked odd jobs for Campbell, was arrested in 2012 after he admitted trying to take $600 from her bank…
Serial Killer Larry Gene Bell: Murder in the Midlands
Serial killer, Larry Gene Bell, believed he was Jesus Christ, and forced his victims to pen a “Last Will and Testament” before they died. Bell was born on October 30, 1949, in Ralph, Alabama, and had three sisters and one brother. The family frequently moved before Bell arrived in Columbia, South Carolina, to attend Eau…
Dallen Forrest Bounds’ Murderous Crime Spree in Greenville, SC in 1999
Dallen Forrest Bounds was born on August 9, 1971, in Washington State, but later relocated to the Greenville, South Carolina area after a failed marriage ended in Arizona. His crime spree left four people dead between June and December 1999. Sometime in early 1998, Bounds and some friends rented an apartment in Greenville. Over the…
The Folly Beach Serial Killer
Many may not remember the name of Richard Valenti or his crimes, but Valenti is in the same league of killers as the “Gaffney Strangler.” In 1973, Valenti killed 14-year-old Sherr Clark and 13-year-old Alexis Latimer in Folly Beach, South Carolina. Valenti was quoted as saying, “The Lord told him to kill them.” Valenti was…
The Cold Case of Pete Wells
On October 13, 2005, Pete Wells was found deceased after a purchase at Bamboo Garden restaurant on Highway 28 Bypass in Anderson, South Carolina. It appears that the homicide happened during a robbery attempt as he entered his vehicle. An arrest was made in the case in 2010, but the charges against the suspect were…
The Gaffney Strangler Terrorizes Upstate, South Carolina
Lee Roy Martin, also known as the “Gaffney Strangler,” terrorized Gaffney, South Carolina, between 1967 and 1968. However, the killings weren’t Martin’s first brush with the law. The textile mill employee, turned serial killer, would eventually murder four people, two women and two girls, during his reign of terror. Martin was described as a family…
Snapped: Tyler Terry and Adrienne Simpson
Tyler Terry and Adrienne Simpson went on a killing spree in May 2021, which ended with Simpson being arrested on May 17, when the duo fled from law enforcement. Terry, on the other hand, had other plans, as he escaped to a wooded area off Highway 9 in Chester County, between Richburg and Fort Lawn….
The Devil: Susan Smith
On October 25, 1994, Susan Smith reported to law enforcement that she had been the victim of a carjacking by a black man in Union County, South Carolina. Smith was driving a 1990 Mazda Protégé with her two sons, Michael Daniel and Alexander Tyler, strapped in the back seat, at the time of the report….