CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – Jerome Jenkins, the third and final man facing murder, attempted murder, and armed robbery charges in the 2015 Sunhouse convenience store robberies and murders admitted guilt to the jury as his trial got underway Friday.
Jenkins’s defense team said their client wants to be sentenced by a jury, however, according to state law, the only way that is possible is to go through the entire trial process, which is why they said he admitted his guilt.
Jenkins is accused of robbing two Sunhouse convenience stores and murdering two Sunhouse employees, Bala Paruchuri and Trisha Stull, in 2015.
Prosecutors say Jenkins worked as a team with two brothers, James Daniels and Mckinley Daniels, to commit the robberies and murders in 2015.
Last August, a jury found James Daniels guilty of murder and armed robbery in connection to the case, and he was sentenced to life without parole.
This January, Mckinley Daniels pleaded guilty to murder and armed robbery charges and is also serving a life sentence.
On Friday, the jurors for Jenkins’s trial were sworn in, both sides presented their opening statements, and witnesses took the stand, including the man and Sunhouse employee prosecutors charged Jenkins with attempting to murder.
The state is seeking the death penalty in Jenkins’s case.
News13 will be in the courtroom throughout the trial and will provide updates on air and online as the trial develops.
