GUILTY SC - Brandon Vinson, 15, abducted & murdered, Red Bank, 10 June 1995

mysteriew

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A man charged with a Lexington County murder 10 years ago has sat in jail ever since.

Lawyers and legal experts can't recall another case in South Carolina and possibly the nation in which a murder defendant has remained behind bars that long without a trial.

Calen John Radwill, 27, should stand trial in November, said Trey Gowdy, a Spartanburg County prosecutor assigned the case in February when the Lexington County prosecutor's office said it had a conflict of interest.

Radwill was 17 in June 1995 when authorities say he kidnapped 15-year-old Brandon Vinson from a grocery store where Vinson worked and stabbed him about 70 times. Brandon's body was found several days later in an abandoned chicken coop near Gilbert.

Radwill has been in jail ever since.

``My son for 10 years has maintained his innocence,''

Joseph Savitz, the lead lawyer in the South Carolina Office of Appellate Defense said he has never heard of a case taking this long to go to trial with the defendant behind bars.

The near decade-long delay in Radwill's case may also have set a national record, according to the National Center for State Courts in Virginia and the Pretrial Services Resource Center in Washington, D.C., a nonprofit information clearinghouse.

http://www.wbt.com/news/detail_wbt.cfm?article_id=21519
 
Prosecutors are planning in November to try a man who has been waiting behind bars for nearly 10 years on charges he kidnapped and murdered a Lexington County teenager.

No specific trial date for Calen Radwill has been set, which suits Donna Ebert, the mother of 15-year-old victim, Brandon Vinson.

“I had to wait 10 years; I’ll wait another 10 years,” Ebert said last week. “You only get one shot at this, and you don’t want to blow it.”

Ebert said she is concerned that Spartanburg County Solicitor Trey Gowdy— the special prosecutor assigned to the case — hasn’t had enough time to prepare for trial.

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/12045200.htm
 
mysteriew said:
Prosecutors are planning in November to try a man who has been waiting behind bars for nearly 10 years on charges he kidnapped and murdered a Lexington County teenager.

No specific trial date for Calen Radwill has been set, which suits Donna Ebert, the mother of 15-year-old victim, Brandon Vinson.

“I had to wait 10 years; I’ll wait another 10 years,” Ebert said last week. “You only get one shot at this, and you don’t want to blow it.”

Ebert said she is concerned that Spartanburg County Solicitor Trey Gowdy— the special prosecutor assigned to the case — hasn’t had enough time to prepare for trial.

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/12045200.htm
Well, how much you want to bet that this guy gets out on appeal after he is convicted? If he doesn't, legislature should be looking at why and how anyone could be sitting in limbo this long.
 
If convicted now, he could spend the rest of his life in prison, though under old sentencing laws, he could be parole eligible in about 10 years with credit for time served.

This is what struck me as so weird. Even if found guilty, he has already served the minimum.
I believe it was N.C. who had the guy who sat in jail for 10 yrs, but he was in there for stealing a TV. It took them 10 yrs or so to take him to trial. As soon as they found him guilty, he was released from jail.
 
From October 2014:

http://www.thestate.com/news/local/crime/article13893161.html

The original projected release date of next Aug. 31 would mean 20 years behind bars for Radwill.

Arrested in 1995, Radwill was held for what’s believed to be an unprecedented 10 years in the Lexington County jail before his case came up for trial. Then he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and kidnapping and signed a contract that he would serve exactly 10 more years. Such contracts are rare but drawn up in cases where prosecutors want to make certain the inmate serves every day of the sentence.
 
The motive was never shared or explained to the family & friends of Brandon who are looking for answers to questions all of us who followed the case still have. If anyone knows of anything relating to this case or of the man who “confessed” to being guilty, Calen John Radwill, please come forward. Help this poor family find some answers, let them have some closure.
 
Is anyone still following this case?? Any suggestions in where to find more information???? I have been reading everything I can find trying to learn more....thanks in advance N
Hey there! are you still interested in finding out more info? Bc I'd love an extra set of eyes and hands sorting through this case. I became a friend of Brandon's mother Ms. Ebert over the past couple years and have been on kind of a private mission to help her get more answers than she currently has. If you are still interested in this case the best place to start that I can suggest is a facebook group his mom created called "Justice for Brandon Vinson." If you'd like some specific post links I have some specific ones I'd be happy to send to you.

Also, i'm not sure if you're aware or not but Calen Radwell is an innocent man. He didn't do it and there's finally DNA evidence to prove it. That poor man sat in prison for 20+ years for a crime he didn't commit. SC justice system for ya smh
 
Hey there! are you still interested in finding out more info? Bc I'd love an extra set of eyes and hands sorting through this case. I became a friend of Brandon's mother Ms. Ebert over the past couple years and have been on kind of a private mission to help her get more answers than she currently has. If you are still interested in this case the best place to start that I can suggest is a facebook group his mom created called "Justice for Brandon Vinson." If you'd like some specific post links I have some specific ones I'd be happy to send to you.

Also, i'm not sure if you're aware or not but Calen Radwell is an innocent man. He didn't do it and there's finally DNA evidence to prove it. That poor man sat in prison for 20+ years for a crime he didn't commit. SC justice system for ya smh
I follow this case. Yes, Calen is innocent. I follow the mom too!! This is a solvable case. imo And, yes please send me links!! Thanks N
 

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