Were a convicted murder’s prints at the scene? Here’s what cops said they found.
Gary Bennett’s fingerprints were not found inside the home of a woman he is accused of murdering, an investigator said on Wednesday.
Al Stuckey, with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, said he collected and analyzed numerous pieces of evidence from the home of Eva Marie Martin in May 2000.
Testing showed Bennett’s fingerprints were not found inside the home where state prosecutors say Bennett murdered Martin, Stuckey said. Other law enforcement experts also testified that they did not find Bennett’s DNA on evidence collected at the scene.
Stuckey was one of several people who testified Wednesday during Bennett’s retrial for the murder of Martin. He was previously convicted in connection to Martin’s May 23, 2000 death, and has spent nearly 20 years in prison. He was granted a new trial in the case after his lawyers raised concerns over his conviction.
Horry County prosecutors have said Bennett and co-defendant Andrew Lindsey worked together and robbed homes. Bennett grew obsessed with robbing a Surfside Beach Taco Bell, where his acquaintance, Martin, worked.
On May 23, 2000, Bennett and Martin got into an argument in her mobile home, Lindsey told investigators and state prosecutors repeated. Then, Bennett killed Martin.
Bennett has maintained his innocence since his conviction.
Defense attorneys have stated Bennett was not at Martin’s home at the time of the killing. Mistakes and cover-ups by the police led to his earlier conviction, Bennett and his lawyers claim.
The retrial started Tuesday with opening statements and testimony from Martin’s roommate Natasha Herrick. The jury also heard a 911 call from Herrick, who found Martin dead in her home.
The mother of Gary Bennett’s child, Aber Vrooman, testified Wednesday that Herrick called her soon after finding the crime scene. But, the call left her confused.
She couldn’t tell if Herrick was laughing or crying, and the roommate kept hanging up the phone, Vrooman said.
“She was hysterical. I couldn’t really understand what she was saying,” said Amber Vrooman.
Vrooman rushed to the home, and numerous police were at the home when she arrived.
“There were people everywhere, like you couldn’t get through,” she said.
Officers had people go to a nearby mobile home and wait, Vrooman said. She added she called Bennett as she waited and he quickly got to the scene.
Wednesday’s witnesses for the state were mostly police officers who responded to the scene or reviewed the evidence in the 20-year-old case. Much of the testimony was routine as they discussed the collection procedures and the results from their testing.
This story was originally published October 21, 2020 at 3:00 PM.
