Trial involving OnStar, grandma’s murder to begin in Horry County. 4 things to know
The family of Mary Ann Elvington, an 80-year-old Horry County grandmother kidnapped and killed in 2021, is suing OnStar over claims the company’s refusal to share her vehicle’s location contributed to her death.
A jury trial in the case is now set for Tuesday, May 26, after a judge granted a continuance in March.
The basis for the lawsuit against OnStar, a division of GM Holdings and General Motors Co., is that the technology, which was installed in Elvington’s 2011 Buick LaCrosse and she subscribed to, might have prevented her death if an OnStar operator would have provided her children the location of their mother.
Here are four key takeaways about the case:
What happened?
Elvington was kidnapped from her Nichols home on March 28, 2021, and her body was found the next day near a church in Marion County. It was Palm Sunday.
Police found Elvington’s abandoned Buick behind an unoccupied building, then discovered her body about 10 miles away behind Mt. Zion AME Church in Marion County.
Who was charged?
Dominique Brand was indicted on three federal counts including kidnapping resulting in death, carjacking resulting in death, and use of a firearm in a crime of violence.
In 2023, Brand was sentenced to two concurrent life sentences plus 10 years after a federal judge found him guilty of forcing Elvington to drive him from her home to Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina, and back before executing her with a shotgun.
Brand had a prior criminal history, having pleaded guilty to five counts of second-degree burglary in Marion County in 2012 and being released on parole in April 2018.
About the lawsuit
Elvington’s eldest son, Harold, called OnStar and pleaded for his mother’s location, but the operator told him she was “embarrassed” about being lost and refused to share it, the lawsuit said.
OnStar has asked a judge to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing Elvington “did not indicate that she was in danger or required assistance” when connected with her son by an operator, according to a motion filed in the case.
OnStar’s policies require law enforcement involvement before releasing a vehicle’s location, and the company released Elvington’s location once informed she was endangered, a dismissal motion filed by the company states.
About the victim
Elvington spent three decades teaching at Green Sea Elementary and was a Sunday school teacher at Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Nichols, remembered by family as “the best Grammy” who never missed a birthday or ballgame.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.
