Credit: Darlington County Detention Center
Christopher Anthony Kinney
By JACKIE TOROK
Published: August 12, 2010
DARLINGTON — A Darlington man will serve at least 21 years and three months in prison for killing a 29-year-old man whose body was found in a car parked along a Darlington County road two years ago.
Christopher Anthony Kinney, 20, of 3162 Tom Drive pleaded to guilty to voluntary manslaughter and possession of a firearm Thursday in the shooting death of John Robert “Robbie” Spell on March 17, 2008.
Circuit Court Judge W. Jeffrey Young sentenced Kinney to 25 years for the manslaughter charge and five years for the possession charge to run concurrently. Kinney must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.
“I’m satisfied with the sentencing he received,” Jennifer Smith, Spell’s sister, said, “but I’m disappointed because he had no remorse.”
Smith said Kinney claimed her brother’s shooting death was an accident. An apology from Kinney wouldn’t bring her brother back, Smith said, but it would have given her a sense of peace.
“I feel if it was truly an accident, he would have apologized,” she said. “I don’t have any closure because he had nothing to say to us (Spell’s family).”
Darlington County sheriff’s deputies responded to Lide Springs Road the morning of March 17, 2008, after a passerby saw a man slumped over in the front seat of a red Mitsubishi Eclipse. Spell had been killed by a single gunshot wound, but no weapon was found in the vehicle, which didn’t belong to Spell.
The investigation revealed Spell actually had been shot inside Darlington city limits at 105 Pinehaven St., the residents of another suspect in the crime, 22-year-old Josh Kelly.
Four days later, Kinney, Kelly and two other Darlington men were arrested in connection with the crime.
Kinney was charged with murder, unlawful carrying of a pistol and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
At the time of his arrest, Kinney faced five drug charges charged stemming from an incident five days before the slaying on Brockington Road, where a suspect fled the scene during a traffic stop. Deputies said the person who fled the scene was Kinney, and drugs were found in the car involved in the traffic stop.
Kelly, 38-year-old Bernard Scott of 312 Blue St. and Rykeem Rochell Wilson, 21, of 104 Millins St., were each charged with accessory after the fact of murder.
Scott pleaded guilty to his role in the crime, while Kelly and Wilson await trial, Darlington Police Capt. Danny Watson said. Scott’s sentence wasn’t immediately available.
Kelly was arrested again Oct. 14, while out on bond for the charge in Spell’s death, and charged with kidnapping, two counts of criminal domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature, possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, a count of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, a count of assault with intent to kill, use of vehicle without owner’s consent and driving under suspension in connection with a dispute with his girlfriend that escalated to violence, Watson said.
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