Secret order frees convicted SC murderer from prison nearly 16 years early
A secret order signed by a South Carolina judge has led to the early release of a convicted murderer found guilty in the 2003 shooting death of a former University of South Carolina football player, law enforcement officials say.
Jeroid Price, who was serving a 35-year sentence for murder in the death of Carl Smalls, was released nearly 16 years early in mid-March under an order purportedly written by now-retired Judge Casey Manning at the request of Price’s attorney, state Rep. Todd Rutherford, D-Richland, said 1st Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe.
Manning, who did not respond to a request for comment, retired at the end of December.
“This is a travesty of justice,” Pascoe said Monday. “The information I received is that Judge Casey Manning signed the order.”
Acting under a court order, the South Carolina Department of Corrections on March 15 quietly released Price, who was serving his prison sentence at a New Mexico state prison under an interstate prison compact, corrections spokeswoman Chrysti Shain said.
Smalls’ parents told The State Tuesday that they were only informed of the decision hours before Price was released. A victim’s advocate from the corrections department called the family the morning of March 15 to give them an advance warning, said Smalls’ father, Carl Jr.
“You’re going to get some news that’s going to be hard to take,” the advocate told the family, Carl Jr. said.
That afternoon, the family received a robocall from corrections, similar to the countless they had received before informing them whenever Price was moved or had filed an appeal. This time, Carl Jr. said the machine’s voice simply told the family Price had been released.
“I was just devastated,” he said, describing the hurt and shock that no one had informed him that his son’s killer was set to be released. “They weren’t going to say nothing; it was a done deal. ‘We’re the law, this is what we did and you folks deal with it.’”
Shain said Monday the department could not release the judge’s order or discuss it.
“As soon as SCDC received an order from the court that his sentence was reduced, inmate Price was processed for release,” she said.
Price, a member of the Bloods gang, was convicted by a Richland County jury in the murder of Smalls in 2003. Then, Pascoe was a 5th Circuit Richland County solicitor and prosecuted Price for Smalls’ murder at a Columbia-area nightspot on Garners Ferry Road, called Club VooDoo.
Price was sentenced to 35 years in prison with no chance of parole, according to news accounts at the time.
Under a state sentencing law, Price was supposed to serve the full sentence. A person convicted of murder must serve “a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment for 30 years to life,” the law says.
Smalls, who was 22 at the time of his death, played football at the University of South Carolina, then transferred to the University of North Carolina and played defensive end. Smalls was affiliated with a Bloods rival gang, the Crips, but was not a full-fledged member, police said at his trial.
Price admitted killing Smalls but claimed he fired in self-defense. Witnesses testified otherwise.
Smalls’ parents said their son was good and kindhearted, who would stand up for himself, even to a fault.
“He didn’t initiate conflict but it was just not in his nature to walk away,” Carl Jr. said. “To this day, I say sometimes, ‘Son, I wish just this one time you had walked away and let Jeroid Price and his buddies rule the night.’”
It took the jury 30 minutes to deliver a guilty verdict for Price.
“It was an assassination,” recalled Richland County deputy chief Stan Smith, who worked the case.
Rutherford declined on Monday to discuss the secret order or confirm that it existed.
Current 5th Circuit Solicitor Byron Gipson, whose office oversees criminal cases in Kershaw and Richland counties, said he knew about Price’s release, but declined to comment on the order. Smalls’ family said Tuesday that they had not hear from Gipson’s office.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott, whose department investigated the murder, said Monday he was outraged about Price’s release.
“This was a backroom deal,” Lott said. “None of us in the law enforcement community were notified. None of the victims were notified. Our gang unit found out from word on the street.”
Pascoe said Monday he has spoken to South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson about Price’s release and said Wilson is concerned about a convicted murderer getting out of prison nearly 16 years early.
In a statement, the Attorney General’s Office said it is “deeply concerned about his release and has already been in contact with the victim’s family.”
“I would anticipate there will be movement on having the record unsealed,” Pascoe said. “By sealing the order, that prevented any judicial review of what happened.”
Pascoe said he wants to know when the hearing occurred, who was there, what facts were presented, whether there’s a transcript and why the records are now sealed.
Later Tuesday, Wilson’s office filed made a formal request to unseal the order, filed in Richland County. Wilson is asking that the 5th Circuit’s administrative judge, Robert Hood, unseal the motion in the case that let Price out of prison “for the limited review” of letting the Attorney General’s Office inspect it.
“I have never seen anything like this,” said Pascoe, calling Price “one of the most dangerous people I have ever prosecuted. He’s a scary dude.”
Lillie, Smalls’ mother, said the family wants Price back in prison.
“That’s our prayer: That something can be done so another family doesn’t have to go through this,” she said.
Editor Maayan Schechter contributed to this report.
This story was originally published April 18, 2023 at 8:47 AM with the headline "Secret order frees convicted SC murderer from prison nearly 16 years early."