State drops charges against Conway bank double murderer on federal death row
South Carolina dropped charges against the man who killed two employees at the Conway CresCom bank.
The move came after a federal jury found Brandon Council guilty of the 2017 killings of Katie Skeen and Donna Major and sentenced him to death. The 15th Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office announced its decision on Tuesday.
The state charges could be brought back at a future date.
After Council was sentenced to death, a federal judge told his attorneys they had 14 days to file any post-trial motions or appeals. The defense immediately asked for an extension, but the judge rejected the request. The defense has since asked the judge to reconsider that decision. The judge agreed to move the deadline for post-trial filings to mid-November.
Council is being held at a federal, short-term prison in Oklahoma City, according to Bureau of Prison records.
A three-week trial included a bevy of evidence against Council, including video from inside the bank.
On Aug. 21, 2017, Council went into the 16th Avenue branch and approached Major at the teller counter. He waited about 45 seconds before pulling out a gun and shooting Major twice.
Skeen screamed in her nearby office, and Council ran to her. Council shot Skeen from point-blank range and killed her.
Council then ran back to Major, who was on the floor behind the counter and shot her in the head. He then robbed the bank.
Council stole Skeen’s car from the parking lot and fled to North Carolina, where he picked up a prostitute and stayed at a hotel. The next day, he asked a stranger to buy a car using money from the robbery.
On Aug. 23, 2017, police arrested Council outside of a Greenville, North Carolina, hotel. FBI investigators spoke to Council, who detailed his crime spree and his reasoning. When police searched Council’s car, they found many items from the robbery, including the gun, money from the bank and the clothes he wore.
This story was originally published October 29, 2019 at 10:50 AM.
