Suspect accused of double murder at Bingo hall asked for release from jail ahead of trial
One of the men accused of killing a father and son at an Horry County bingo hall will remain in jail as he awaits trial.
Derrick Jajuan Rivera was in Horry County last week to ask a judge to set bond in his case that includes murder charges. The judge denied that request, according to court records.
Rivera continues to be held in J. Reuben Long Detention Center on a slew of charges related to the shooting at Waccamaw Bingo in August 2019. Investigators say Rivera and Bradford Britton, 40, were involved in a robbery and shooting at the Myrtle Beach area bingo hall that left Steve Johnson Sr. and Steve “Sparky” Johnson Jr. dead.
Horry police also charged Britton with two counts of murder and two counts of armed robbery.
The shooting happened on a busy Friday night at the hall filled with patrons. Dozens of the Johnson’s family and friends attended a memorial at the hall off U.S. 501 after the killings.
Rivera has a lengthy criminal history in South Carolina and was on free on bond from Georgetown County at the time of the bingo hall shooting. Police charged Rivera with four counts of attempted murder in Georgetown in the spring of 2019.
Weeks before his Georgetown arrests, Rivera was charged in Richland County with possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of a stolen gun, use of a vehicle without permission and possession of body armor by a violent criminal.
Horry County prosecutors have not indicated whether they will seek the death penalty in the bingo hall case.
No trial date has been set in Rivera’s case.
This story was originally published February 17, 2020 at 2:02 PM.
