73-year-old North Myrtle Beach man killed in his home; 21-year-old suspect arrested
A 73-year-old man was found lying in a pool of blood with a 6-inch stab wound to his head inside his own North Myrtle Beach home Monday.
Darrell Johnson, 73, was assaulted in his North Myrtle Beach home about 5 p.m. Monday, according to Chief Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard said.
The man suspected of Johnson’s murder was arrested in a small South Carolina town near the Georgia border Tuesday.
Kameron Horton, 21, was arrested in Hardeeville and taken to Jasper County Detention Center, according to a Facebook post from the Hardeeville Police Department. Horton was arrested during a traffic stop after police received information that a homicide suspect was traveling to the area.
Horton has since been extradited to Horry County and is in custody at J. Reuben Long Detention Center. He was booked into jail in Horry County after 5 p.m. Wednesday, the jail’s website shows. He is charged with murder and has no bond set.
Jail records list Horton as living in North Charleston, while the police report shows he’s tied to addresses in Conway and Hanahan. The report also lists him as a resident of “this jurisdiction,” indicating he may live in North Myrtle Beach.
Horton is a graduate of Horry County Schools, district spokeswoman Lisa Bourcier confirmed, though the year and school were not provided.
About 5:45 p.m., police responded to a call of a man being found face-down and covered with blood in a home on Hillside Drive, according to a police report from the North Myrtle Beach Police Department.
The stairs leading up to the door of Johnson’s unit were covered in bloody footprints, the report stated. The door was closed but not locked.
Johnson was found lying face-down in the living room, just inside the door, with blood pooled around his body, the report said.
The blood was “partially dried and cracked” on the floor, according to the report.
Johnson had a large cut on the back of his head, police said. The police officer estimated the cut to be about six inches long.
Johnson’s body was cold to the touch and did not have a pulse when the officer found him, the report said.
One of Johnson’s neighbors, who had called authorities, told police that Johnson lives alone, according to the report.
An initial search for information about Johnson found the he is a registered sex offender, convicted during 1990 of child molestation in Georgia, according to the National Sex Offender Registry.
An autopsy is scheduled at the Medical University of South Carolina, according to the coroner’s office.
This story was originally published February 3, 2022 at 12:57 PM.
