Jakeem Bryant denied bond in murder case

A Magistrate denied bond Friday for a Tabor City man charged by police in August in connection to the murder of a 31-year-old woman whose child was found alive in the car with her dead body.

Jakeem Jerome Bryant, 27, was charged with murder and use of a firearm during commission of a violent crime. On murder charges, only a circuit court judge can set bail. The state and Bryant agreed to allow the circuit court judge to set bond on his firearm charge. As a result, Magistrate Aaron Butler denied Bryant bond on Friday during a hearing at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center.

Bryant wore prison-issued, orange clothing. He spoke only to answer the judge's questions that he understood the charges and he approved waiting for the circuit judge to set bond on all his charges.

Police say the victim, Latosha Nicole Lewis, was found dead in a Honda Accord around Carolina Road and Church Road near Green Sea. Officers responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle and Lewis was found dead with a gunshot wound just after midnight Aug. 15.

Bryant was arrested days after Lewis was found dead, police said, and was held in Columbus County, N.C., before being extradited to Horry County on Thursday.

Lewis had six children, her cousin, Akeem Jenrette, said.

The Department of Social Services took custody of the child in the vehicle, police said.

Hannah Strong: 843-444-1765, @HannahLStrong

This story was originally published March 2, 2018 at 5:05 PM with the headline "Jakeem Bryant denied bond in murder case."