After more than three years a murder suspect in the 2015 Sunhouse armed robberies goes before a jury for the first time.
James Daniels faces murder and armed robbery charges for events that happened January 25, 2015 at a Sunhouse convenience store in Conway and at a Scotchman store in North Myrtle Beach.
This week’s trial does not include Daniels’ charges in connection to an armed robbery and murder that happened January 2, 2015 at a Sunhouse store on Highway 905.
Daniels can be tried on those charges later, but this week the jury was asked to focus only on events that happened the night of January 25, 2015.
Those include two armed robberies and the murder of 30 year old Trisha Stull.
All of Horry County was on edge that night following the Highway 905 armed robbery and murder.
Trisha stull was working late and in charge of closing up the Sunhouse on Cultra Road.“She was nervous,” Solicitor Jimmy Richardson said. “Everybody was nervous.”
Just before 10:00 p.m., Daniels enters the store and is seen browsing and chatting with Stull. The state said Daniels was actually scoping out the business for McKinley Daniels and Jerome Jenkins, a team Richardson called “brutally efficient.”
“This is planned out. This is murder. This is armed robbery,” Richardson said in the state’s opening statement Tuesday.
After scoping the store, the state said Daniels then drove the getaway car. Richardson said although Daniels did not pull the trigger he still faces murder charges because of his role.
“Every store clerk that saw James Daniels was dead within 35 minutes,” Richardson said, making clear how big of role Daniels played. “The hand of one is the hand of all.”
The defense told the jury to remember that the other suspects, McKinley Daniels and Jerome Jenkins, are not present in this week’s trial. Defense attorney Barbara Platt pulled over two empty chairs in her opening statement to symbolize that.
“There are two people that you’re not gonna hear from,” Platt said. “You’re gonna see what they do, you’re gonna see it on videotape.” She continued in her opening statement saying, “you don’t see a plan, and you don’t have the ability to look them in the eye and see their character.”
Pratt said McKinley and Jerome Jenkins are the, “vicious and violent and brutal folks.”
Following opening statements, a number of witnesses, including officers, crime scene specialists and special agents, were called to the stand.
Scotchman cashier Barbara McDowell described being robbed at gunpoint an hour before the Conway Sunhouse incident.
“When I was trying to open the other register he told me if I didn’t get that other register open he was gonna shoot me,” McDowell said on the stand.
The state seeks life in prison for Daniels.
The trial will pick up again Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Horry County Government and Justice Center.
