Sentence set for man who killed victim after luring him to a Myrtle Beach hotel for sex

Meleke Stewart was convicted of murder by an Horry County jury on Thursday and sentenced to serve 30 years in prison for the June 2014 shooting death of Alton Daniels in Myrtle Beach.

Prosecutors presented a case in the three-day trial claiming Stewart, 22, of Chester, lured Daniels, 34, to the Days Inn on 9th Avenue and Yaupon Drive, where Daniels was found shot dead in his car.

Circuit Court Judge Thomas W. Cooper sentenced Stewart to 30 years in prison for the charges of murder, attempted armed robbery and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, according to Fifteenth Circuit Assistant Solicitor Jonathan Miles, who prosecuted the case with senior assistant solicitor George DeBusk.

Myrtle Beach police said two suspects — Stewart and Broderick Roscoe, both 18 at the time — lured Daniels of Shallotte, N.C., to the area, claiming to exchange sex with Daniels for money.

Daniels was found by police with his pants buckle undone and his zipper down, Paul Sweeney, a Myrtle Beach police officer, testified on Wednesday. In his Mazda car, police found one shell casing after his body was removed, said Myrtle Beach police officer William Stair. There were two cellphones, a bible in the trunk, $61 in the side driver’s door and $115 in a wallet in the trunk, Stair said.

Texts presented to the jury Wednesday revealed the negotiation between Stewart and Daniels, prosecutors said.

The conversation showed $50 was offered for oral sex, then down to $45, up to $300 and back below $100, and the two talked about how to meet up. A handful of phone conversations happened early in the morning, phone records show.

Miles told the jury Daniels was trying to get away when he was shot multiple times and died instantly. A bullet went through his right shoulder blade, through both lungs and out under his left armpit, police said. Records placed Stewart’s phone in the parking lot at the time of the shooting, according to an arrest affidavit.

Stewart sat quietly with his head down during testimony most of Wednesday morning, rarely whispering to attorneys and looking around the courtroom. Defense attorney Eric Fox argued Wednesday there can be more than one interpretation of the event.

“What happened when they met up is where this disagreement is,” Fox said during opening statements. “The police got a theory, they had a dead body … the police from the very beginning decided it was murder. I believe it was not.”

The trial occurred only after Judge Cooper determined Stewart was competent to stand trial after hearing from a medical expert who detailed interviews with Stewart prior to the trial.

Dr. Sheresa Christopher, who works with forensic evaluations at the Medical University of South Carolina, said Stewart has a learning disability and major depressive disorder.

One of Stewart’s attorneys expressed concerns, saying his client, who was a junior in high school at the time of the crime, cannot read and has a low IQ, and it has been difficult discussing the trial with him.

Horry County court records show Roscoe still faces charges in Daniels’ death.

This story was originally published October 18, 2018 at 8:49 PM.