Horry County man’s conviction upheld in wife’s shooting

Justices with the S.C. Court of Appeals upheld the conviction and sentence of an Horry County man serving 20 years in the shooting of his former wife, according to an opinion issued Wednesday.

Brad Senter, 59, was convicted in June 2008 of assault and battery with intent to kill and criminal domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature in the shooting of Dena Lester, who was shot in the chest on Nov. 13, 2006, at his home.

Circuit Court Judge Michael Nettles ordered Senter to serve 10 years in prison for the assault and 10 years for the domestic violence charge. The sentences are running concurrently and Senter was given credit for the 20 months in jail he served before his conviction.

Lester, who was estranged from Senter and working as an assistant principal at Forestbrook Middle School, was shot in the chest after the couple argued at Senter’s home on Arrowhead golf course. Lester told police her husband of 13 years shot her, pulled her into a wooded area and threatened her again when she tried to flee.

Lester eventually was able to get away and alert a nearby golf course worker, who called police, about the assault. Police said Senter threatened the man before officers arrived.

Senter’s appeal sought to overturn his conviction and sentence based on Nettles denying motions for a new trial and directed verdict and denying Senter’s request to waive his rights to a jury trial, according to the opinion.

At the time of Senter’s conviction, Nettler delayed sentencing because Senter’s attorney, Ralph Wilson, argued the jury should have found him mentally insane. Nettles could have set aside the verdict and aquitted him or ordered a new trial.

The jury had the option of finding Senter guilty or not guilty by reason of insanity, but determined that Senter was of sound mind when he shot Lester and tried to cover up the crime. The justices concurred in their opinion and wrote that Nettles properly submitted the case to a jury for a decision.

Senter is being held at Kirkland Correctional Institution and is eligible for parole in April 2015, according to the state Department of Corrections. His projected release date is July 2020.