‘Fantastic people.’ Family gathers at burned Green Pond home to mourn 6 lives lost
Folly Creek Lane in Green Pond, an unincorporated area of Colleton County, is an inconspicuous street that could be in any rural area where simple homes sit on tree-lined lots.
On Monday though, its residents were still coming to terms with a crime that made their neighborhood the focus of national news: Six lives ripped from the close-knit community the day before, stabbed to death and left in a burning home. A seventh critically injured. A family member charged with murder.
In the late afternoon, cars lined the driveway and the street at what remained of the Magwood family’s burned home at 779 Folly Creek Lane. Five men, a pair in work boots and one in an understated fedora, sat on lawn chairs beneath a large tree in the shadow of the still-smoldering house.
The men, and others who gravitated to the property, told stories of the ones they’d lost. They thought of what they would say to those killed if they could. They smiled, laughed, mourned and appreciated each other’s company while they tried to understand what led to six inexplicable and tragic deaths.
The family
Monique Magwood-Badger, 42, granddaughter to the oldest lost, shared memories of her loved ones who were taken away Sunday.
The youngest at age 6 was Samiyah Rutledge. She loved the camera and, though she seemed shy, she would open up if you sat down and talked with her.
Allen “Hotrod” Jefferson, in his early 50s, was thought of as a comedian. He loved the children in the Magwood family like they were his own.
Michele Magwood, 50, was Jefferson’s partner and Monique’s cousin. She was the oldest granddaughter and “the heartbeat and the backbone” of the family. “She was at the core of everything that was good in this family,” Moniquie said. “She set order. We didn’t call her ‘Big Red’ for nothing.” Michele was always strong when people needed her to be and she took care of their grandmother, Maggie Magwood, the 101-year-old matriarch of the family who also was killed.
Despite her age, Maggie was sharp. She loved word searches and scratch-off tickets and was proud of her grandchildren and their successes. To celebrate her many birthdays, the Magwoods would parade up Folly Creek Lane. Maggie would sit on a throne at ACE Basin Greenway, a park at the end of the road, and just about everyone in the Green Pond community would drive by to wish her happy birthday.
When police arrived at the scene on Sunday morning, a critically injured 13-year-old, the only survivor, was able to tell them what happened and point police to the suspect before being airlifted to a the hospital.
Living memories
David Magwood, Maggie’s son and Geech’s brother, said that in Sunday’s tragedy the community lost the best people.
“The people here are fantastic people, number one people” he said.
Only hours before, Magwood family members stood in a courtroom, where the man accused of killing their relatives appeared for a bond hearing. The judge offered three of them the chance to express their pain.
Their words were powerful and resolute.
No one The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette spoke at the Magwood home with could fathom a reason why the suspect accused of the murders would do such a thing.
Ryan Lenard Manigo, 33, has initially been charged with two counts of murder and one of attempted murder. More charges are likely to come.
The Colleton County Sheriff’s Office is awaiting autopsy results before bringing those additional charges.
“This dude came along. Something caused him to do what he did. I looked at him as a bright young fella,” said David Magwood, “but, you never know what’s in a person’s mind.”
This story was originally published July 5, 2023 at 8:23 AM with the headline "‘Fantastic people.’ Family gathers at burned Green Pond home to mourn 6 lives lost."
