Woman convicted, sentenced to life in prison in fatal shootings of husband, his son at Loris home

By Tonya Root - Myrtlebeachonline.com

June 13, 2014

After nearly two weeks in court, a Tabor City, N.C., woman was convicted of two counts of murder and sentenced to life in prison in the shooting deaths of her 66-year-old husband and his 40-year-old son, according to authorities.

The trial of Sandy Lee Locklear, 41, began June 2 and ended Thursday night after an Horry County jury convicted her of two counts of murder, said Brad Richardson, a senior assistant solicitor with the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office. Jurors deliberated for nearly three hours before they reached a verdict.

Circuit Court Judge Benjamin Culbertson gave Locklear to two life in prison sentences, which will run concurrently.

Locklear was charged in the Aug. 19, 2012, shooting deaths of her husband, Amos Hatfield, 66, and his son, Thomas Howard Hatfield, 40, in what authorities said was a murder for hire to collect an insurance policy, Richardson said.

“This would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the Horry County Police Department,” Richardson said Friday morning. “The family was relieved at the verdict.”

Horry County police charged Locklear and two other men, Nehemiah James Evans, 29, of Nichols, and Odom Bryant, 24, of Tabor City, who are each charged with two counts of murder and first-degree burglary in the incident.

Charges are pending against both men, whose cases will be adjudicated later. The men remain at J. Reuben Long Detention Center without bond.

Locklear also was charged with filing a false police report stemming from a first-degree criminal sexual conduct charge, according to records.

Amos Hatfield had purchased a home for Locklear, his wife, on Fair Bluff Road in Tabor City on June 12, but he resided with his son in another home he owned on Red Bluff Road in Loris, according to authorities.

The Hatfields were found dead from gunshot wounds about 4:30 a.m. Aug. 19, 2012, inside the home they shared.

After Evans’ arrest, police said they believed Locklear conspired with him and Bryant to rob and kill her husband and his son, Horry County police Lt. Robert Kegler said at the time of the arrests, which was soon after the shootings in August 2012.

Trial begins in 2012 Loris double-murder

By Lacy Hardee

For The Loris Scene

The date was Aug. 19, 2012. The time, about 4:30 a.m. This was when the normal early morning quiet of Red Bluff Road, just outside the city limits of Loris, was disturbed by the violent act of double murder.

On that morning, officers with the Horry County Police Department’s Uniform Patrol Division responded to a home on Red Bluff Road in reference to a reported home invasion. When they got there, officers found located two males, dead from apparent gunshot wounds.

Amos Hatfield, 66, and his son Thomas Howard Hatfield, 40, were found dead in what appeared to be a home invasion, said Lt. Robert Kegler with Horry County police.

During the investigation, detectives identified Sandy Lee Locklear, the wife of victim Amos Hatfield, as being involved in the incident. Detectives determined that Locklear participated in the murders and conspired with two additional suspects to rob and kill the victims.

Locklear was arrested and charged in connection with the incident.

Upon further investigation, it was indicated Locklear conspired with a Nehemiah James Evans, 28, of Nichols and Odom Bryan Bryant, 22, of Tabor City to rob and kill her husband and his son, Kegler said.

Locklear is charged with two counts of murder and first-degree burglary.

The relationship between Locklear, 41, and the two suspects, other than the alleged conspiracy, is not clear. Kegler said he is not aware if they are relatives or friends.

Locklear, 41, was charged with two counts of murder and first-degree burglary in connection with the shooting deaths of Amos Hatfield, 66, and his son, Thomas Howard Hatfield, 40, authorities said.

Her trial began Monday, June2, with opening statements and witness testimony. The trial continues this week, said Brad Richardson, a senior assistant solicitor with the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

Also charged are Evans and Bryant, each with two counts of murder and first-degree burglary in the incident.

Charges are pending against both men, whose cases will be adjudicated later. The men remain at J. Reuben Long Detention Center without bond.

Locklear also was charged with filing a false police report stemming from a first-degree criminal sexual conduct charge, according to records.

Amos Hatfield had purchased a home for Locklear on Fair Bluff Road in Tabor City on June 12, but he lived with his son in another home he owned on Red Bluff Road in Loris, according to authorities.

Police charge wife in Loris double homicide

By Todd Garvin - Myrtlebeachonline.com

August 20, 2012

Horry County Police charged a woman Monday with two counts of murder in the shooting of her husband and his son in Loris.

Sandy Lee Locklear, 40, of Tabor City, N.C., was booked into J. Reuben Long Detention Center less than 48 hours after she allegedly gunned down her 66-year-old husband, Amos Hatfield, and his son, 40-year-old Thomas Howard Hatfield. She was also charged with burglary and filing a false police report.

Amos Hatfield had purchased a home for his wife on Fair Bluff Road in Tabor City on June 12, although he resided with his son in another home he owned on Red Bluff Road in Loris.

Neighbors of Locklear said she had mostly kept to herself since moving into the home.

“All we did was throw our hands up to each other,” said Jennifer Edwards, who lives next door to the home. “We never spoke other than to say hello, so I don’t really know anything about [her].

“We just found out about [her being charged] today. I can tell you I was very surprised.”

It was unknown if the couple were estranged. John Adkins of Loris, husband of Amos Hatfield’s daughter Sylvia, said his father-in-law hadn’t even shared that he had remarried until about six months after it happened.

“He was very private,” Adkins said. “He wouldn’t speak about buying that house for her.”

Adkins said perhaps the reason his father-in-law was so private is that he loved to fish and hunt, often going alone before coming down with health issues over the past couple of years. Adkins said one of their favorite places to go when he tagged along was on Rowe Pond Road in Conway near Lees Landing.

He and his wife didn’t find out about the slayings – despite living only about “four or five miles” from the scene – until about 4 p.m. Sunday, when Horry County Coroner Robert Edge was finally able to locate them.

“It shocked me when he called and said it happened,” he said. “When I found out [they had charged Locklear], I guess I was numb at the time so I didn’t really care one way or the other.”

The couple tried to make arrangements for the Hatfields on Monday, but couldn’t because police are still processing evidence and haven’t released the bodies. Adkins said that, for now, he will simply focus his attention on his wife and the two grandchildren they had given Amos Hatfield.

“I’ll just do all I can for her,” he said. “Just be there for her. That’s all you can do.”

The younger Hatfield also had two children – another preceded him in death – who, according to Adkins, were staying with the mother of his wife, Iola Sandy Lee Hatfield. She is serving a three-year prison sentence for burglary at Leath Correctional Institution in Greenwood, but is eligible for parole Sept. 21.

Sandy Lee Locklear