Conway man pleads guilty to voluntary manslaughter, gets 15 years in prison

A Conway man will spend 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to a deadly shooting last year.

John Edward Brown, 42, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter according to assistant solicitor O’ Bryan Martin who prosecuted the case for the 15th circuit Solicitor’s Office.

“This was a senseless act of violence, and a completely avoidable tragedy,” Martin said. “We would like to thank all members of the public and law enforcement who assisted with this investigation.”

On June 11, 2021, Brown approached a Philip Jerome Hudgins and struck him multiple times with a contractors level before grabbing a handgun, and fatally shooting him. Brown surrendered to Horry County Police that afternoon after initially fleeing the scene.

Voluntary manslaughter is considered a “violent” and “most serious” offense, meaning Brown must serve 85 percent of his sentence before being eligible for parole.