Solicitor in Scott Spivey case known for corruption cases. What happens now?
In the latest twist of the investigation into the shooting death of a North Carolina man two years ago, the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office has now asked another county solicitor to review the case.
The request for Barry Barnette, solicitor for Spartanburg and Cherokee counties in the 7th circuit, came during a time when Attorney General Alan Wilson is running for governor and has been criticized by at least one of his opponents for the handling of the Scott Spivey case.
The AG’s letter sent on Oct. 3, 2025, asked Barnette’s office to review the case of Spivey, who was shot and killed by two men, Weldon Boyd, a North Myrtle Beach businessman, and Kenneth “Bradley” Williams, along Camp Swamp Road in the Longs area on Sept. 9, 2023.
Barnette is being asked to review the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division’s investigation into the Horry County Police Department’s handling of the 33-year-old Tabor City man’s death and allegations of misconduct within the department.
When asked to comment about the AG’s letter and how he would move forward with the review of the SLED investigation, Amy Goulding with the 7th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, said Barnette would not be commenting on the case “because it is an ongoing matter.”
Goulding also declined to say whether there was a possibility for Spivey’s case to be reopened.
The letter states that the AG’s Office had already reviewed the case and declined to charge the two men involved, citing the state’s Stand Your Ground law.
Ken Moss, attorney for Boyd, declined to comment, saying by email that he believes the AG’s letter “is quite specific about what he intended.”
What we know about Barnette?
This is not the first state corruption case that Barnette, who was named solicitor in 2011, has been asked by the AG’s Office to handle.
The former high school science teacher, who later got his law degree, was given four high-profile cases by Wilson in 2021 regarding alleged public corruption by former state lawmakers, including one from Horry County, and a political consultant.
The cases included Richard Quinn Sr., who in 2019 was indicted by a state grand jury and later pled guilty to charges after years of behind-the-scene payments to lawmakers in the S.C. General Assembly; sentencing of former state Sen. John Courson, R-Richland, who pleaded guilty in 2018 to misconduct; perjury and misconduct charges against former state Rep. Tracy Edge, R-Horry; and a misconduct charge against former state Rep. Jim Harrison, R-Richland.
Barnette generally has been a key figure in prosecuting or assisting with prosecutions in cases where public corruption, ethics violations, or calls for independent oversight were at issue within his jurisdiction or by assignment.
Will this open door for case to be reopened?
The AG’s Office has stated that it will not reopen the case into Spivey’s death and stands by its decision to not charge the men, who have claimed self-defense.
“I have always said I would assign a solicitor to review the SLED investigation into the allegations of law enforcement misconduct in the handling of the Scott Spivey case, which is what I’ve done,” according to an emailed statement from Alan Wilson on Oct. 9, 2025. “The referral is to review the allegations of police misconduct, which is a separate investigation from the shooting. However, if there is new information within the police misconduct investigation that would change the outcome of the ‘Stand Your Ground’ determination made by my office, the solicitor has the authority to re-evaluate that as well.”
However, what is not made clear in the letter is whether SLED’s investigation into the Horry County Police’s alleged misconduct is complete and what, if any, findings have been made.
The SLED investigation into Horry County Police is still open, according to spokesperson Renee Wunderlich. Wunderlich said that having someone look over the case is part of the process in order to determine if charges will be filed or not moving forward.
The Attorney General’s Office was asked to review the case after 15th Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson recused himself. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division also reviewed the case that was initially investigated by the Horry County Police department.
Spivey’s family raised several concerns about HCPD’s handling of the case and alleged misconduct by officers, many of them who were friends with Boyd.
The family has since filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the two men. The suit is currently awaiting a Stand Your Ground hearing, which will determine whether the case can move forward.
The hearing is expected to be scheduled before the end of the year that would determine if Boyd and Williams are entitled to civil and criminal immunity related to their actions during the shooting.
Evidence uncovered in the lawsuit, including recordings of Boyd’s phone calls in the aftermath of the shooting, has already led to two high-ranking Horry County police officers no longer working their jobs and letters from county council and local state legislators asking Gov. Henry McMaster to consider reopening the case. Three other HCPD unnamed officers were also disciplined for mishandling evidence in the case.
