Murder suspect charged in 2 South Carolina deadly shootings, Lancaster County sheriff says

LANCASTER COUNTY, S.C. — Lajohn Devarus Gaither, 36, of Lancaster, has been charged with murder in connection with the shooting death of Marico Lamont Stevens early on Christmas Day in 2021 in Lancaster and another homicide in Spartanburg County.

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At about 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 25, 2021, Lancaster police officers called to a home on East Dunlap Street and found 41-year-old Stevens slumped over in the driver’s seat in his black 2008 Chrysler 300, which was parked next to his front porch.

Stevens was shot several times and was deceased.

Investigators identified Gaither as a suspect early in the investigation, the Lancaster Sheriff’s Office said.

Early this week, Gaither was charged and warrants for his arrest were issued.

The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office contacted investigators in Lancaster County earlier this month for help in a homicide in its jurisdiction.

Gaither was also named a suspect in the shooting death of a missing man, who was last seen leaving a nightclub on April 10 in Spartanburg County.

Agents with the U.S. Marshal Marshalls Service and the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division found Gaither at a home on April 19 on North Cleveland Street in Kershaw.

He was taken into custody without incident and taken to the Spartanburg County Detention Center.

Warrants for the Christmas Day Lancaster County homicide were issued Monday.

“It is unknown when Gaither will be returned to Lancaster County, but it will not be before Gaither’s Spartanburg County charges are resolved, or he posts bond on them,” the Lancaster Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

“This arrest is a testament to the hard work of the Lancaster County Multijurisdictional Violent Crime Task Force,” said Acting Chief, Brian Small, Lancaster Police Department. “These investigators refused to give up and followed up on every lead they received. I do hope this arrest helps the family of Mr. Stevens begin to heal.”

Gaither was also charged with possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime.

Check back with wsoctv.com for updates on this story.

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