5 people charged so far in connection with armed robbery, homicide at Myrtle Beach motel
Five of the eight people arrested in connection with an armed robbery and homicide at a Myrtle Beach motel were charged Friday with drug trafficking and weapons charges, officials said.
The five people had their bonds set on Friday, the day after Myrtle Beach police officers found 43-year-old Jermaine Stewart, of Conway, fatally shot in a room at the Waterpark Motel. Police also found several firearms and large amounts of drugs in the second-floor room when they arrived about 1:30 a.m.
Three other people, including two juveniles, have been arrested in connection with Thursday’s incident but have not been charged yet. Cpl. Tom Vest with the Myrtle Beach Police Department said the juveniles’ names and charges would not be released unless the solicitor tries them as adults. A final adult suspect has not been served their warrants yet, Vest said.
Police have said murder charges are likely to come. Police are still looking for a ninth person involved in the case.
Detectives said scenes at two other Myrtle Beach motels have ties to Thursday’s homicide: Motel 6 on Frontage Road East and Bermuda Sands at 104 N. Ocean Blvd.
At Bermuda Sands, police found drugs and a second unidentified man suffering from a non-life threatening gunshot wound.
Officials did not provide details about what was found at Motel 6.
Police said during the bond hearing that the five people charged Friday all lived at the Waterpark Motel at 1201 S. Ocean Blvd.
The people charged Friday are:
▪ Michael Phillips, 30, was charged with accessory after the fact of armed robbery, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, trafficking heroin and methamphetamine, possession of crack cocaine and a schedule IV substance, and simple possession of marijuana. The judge denied Phillips bond on the trafficking charges.
▪ Melissa Hudson, 28, was charged with trafficking methamphetamine and heroin, possession of crack cocaine, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, financial transaction card theft, and simple possession of marijuana. Her bond was set at $35,615.
At the time of her arrest, Hudson was out on bond for a 2019 drug trafficking charge in Greenville. The magistrate judge, who set the bonds for all the other charges, was not able to set the bond on Hudson’s drug trafficking charges. Because she is out on bail for another violent charge — the 2019 charge in Greenville — a circuit court judge must set her bond for the Myrtle Beach drug trafficking charge.
▪ Melissa Funderburk, 38, was charged with possession of crack cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin, and simple possession of marijuana. Her bond was set at $30,615.
▪ Marion Couick, 51, was charged with possession of methamphetamine, heroin, and crack cocaine and simple possession of marijuana. His bond was set at $45,615.
▪ Bohannon Martin, 30, was charged with trafficking crack cocaine. His bond was set at $50,000.
The judge who set their bonds cited previous criminal records and the large quantities of multiple drugs as reasons the individuals are flight risks.
This story was originally published March 26, 2021 at 8:08 PM.
