SC SC - Shakeima Ann Cabbagestalk, 10, Dillon, 22 July 1993 - guilty

It's been more than a decade, but a Dillon family is not giving up hope that one of their own will come home safely.

Shakeima Cabbagestalk has been missing since the summer 1993.

NewsChannel 15's Lindsay Tyner spoke with an aunt Sunday about the girl's mysterious disappearance.

"When I think about it so long, tears begin to want to bubble up," said Maggie Cabbagestalk.

Shakeima has been gone for 15 years now, but the time hasn't eased the pain or the questions.

" A fear, you know, wondering what or wondering how it would happen," said Cabbagestalk

http://www.wpde.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=138593

http://wpde.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=202808

Trial begins in 15 year old murder case.
Trial begins in 15-year-old murder case


By Tonya Brown
Monday, October 06, 2008 at 6:44 p.m.


Prosecutors say a Dillon County man killed his 10-year-old stepdaughter 15 years ago because she accused him of inappropriately touching her.


They say after he killed her, he got rid of her body, and she has never been found.


The prosecution believes they have a very strong case even without a body. They say the suspect, Sam Harmon, was the last person to see 10-year-old Shakeima Cabbagestalk alive in July of 1993. They say two weeks before she went missing Harmon talked about how he could dispose of a body.

Police arrested him for the child's murder in 2005. At the time, they initially charged him with murder, kidnapping, and criminal sexual conduct, but the criminal sexual conduct charge has been dropped.


Harmon's attorneys told jurors he had nothing to do with Shakeima's disappearance and say he has waited 15 years to prove his innocence. His lawyers went on to tell jurors they have confidence they will make the right decision.

"You are Sam Harmon's jury. You are the ones who will decide his fate. We have chosen you. You have been sworn in," said Attorney Robert Lee.

In 1992, a year before Shakeima went missing, the Department of Social Services investigated claims by the child that Harmon inappropriately touched her. That investigation found no wrong doing on Harmon's part, and he was never charged.


However, prosecutors say they still believe the accusations is what led to the Shakeima's killing.

The prosecution told jurors if Shakeima was still alive, she would have made contact with her grandmother and brother whom she loved so dearly.


More than 30 people are expected to testify in Harmon's trial, and it could last all week.

Man acquitted of stepchild's death
Saturday, October 11, 2008



DILLON — A jury has found a Dillon County man not guilty of killing his 10-year-old stepdaughter 15 years ago but convicted him of kidnapping her.

Judge Michael Nettles sentenced 43-year-old Sam Harmon on Thursday to 12 years in prison but gave him credit for the three years he's been in jail. He is eligible for parole in a year.

Harmon faced murder and kidnapping charges in the disappearance of his stepdaughter, Shakeima Cabbagestalk.

The Morning News of Florence reported the girl was last seen with Harmon at a convenience store in July 1993. Prosecutors said she was murdered, even though her body was never found.

http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/oct/11/brief2/

NamUs

Shakeima has been missing for 22 years. I read that investigators list her case as closed because they believe Harmon was responsible for her murder although he was found not guilty. He was found guilty of kidnapping but I think he was released. I tried looking him up on the inmate site for South Carolina and I couldn't find him. Even though the case is closed, I hope they are still looking for her. Some of her relatives believe she is still alive.

Shakeima Ann Cabbagestalk – The Charley Project
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)


Shakeima Ann Cabbagestalk

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Shakeima, circa 1993; Age-progression to age 34 (circa 2016); Sam Harmon in 2008

• Missing Since07/22/1993
• Missing FromDillon, South Carolina
• ClassificationEndangered Missing
• Date of Birth12/29/1982 (36)
• Age10 years old
• Height and Weight3'6, 65 pounds
• Distinguishing CharacteristicsAfrican-American female. Black hair, brown eyes. Shakeima has moles near the corner of her mouth and below her neck. She had a double tooth on the upper side of her mouth at the time of her 1993 disappearance.

Details of Disappearance
Shakeima was last seen in Dillon, South Carolina on July 22, 1993. Her stepfather, Sam Harmon, was the last person to see her. He left with her to go to the Turning Point Grocery on south First Avenue. Harmon says he left both Shakeima and her brother at the store. She has never been heard from again.

In August 2005, twelve years after Shakeima's disappearance, Harmon was charged with murder, two counts of kidnapping, and criminal sexual conduct with a minor in connection with her case. Prosecutors originally sought the death penalty against him, but later stopped pursuing that and sought life in prison instead. They also elected not to pursue the sex charge.

A photograph of Harmon is posted with this case summary. In 1992, Shakeima had accused him of touching her inappropriately. The state Department of Social Services investigated her claims, but her story changed several times and there was no evidence to support it, so no charges were filed against her stepfather. Investigators theorized Shakeima's allegations against Harmon gave him the motive to kill her.

Several of Shakeima's relatives testified at Harmon's October 2008 trial. Her uncle said that two weeks before Shakeima disappeared, Harmon had told him about ways he could dispose of a dead body. Prosecutors said Shakeima was very close to her brother and grandmother and would have contacted them if she could have.

There was no physical evidence to indicate she was dead, and Harmon maintained his innocence in her disappearance. He was acquitted of murder, but convicted of kidnapping and sentenced to twelve years in prison. He will become eligible for parole in 2011.

Foul play is suspected in Shakeima's case due to the circumstances involved, but several of her relatives believe she is still alive. Her case remains unsolved.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
NamUs #MP5906
Shakeima Ann Cabbagestalk
Circumstances of Disappearance - Shakeima was last seen getting into a car with an unidentified male. She has a mole near the corner of her mouth and another below her nect. She has a double tooth on the upper side of her mouth.