SC man goes to prison for decades after 22-year-old was killed in shooting, sheriff says
A South Carolina man is going to prison for decades after a 22-year-old was shot and killed, the Saluda County Sheriff’s Office said.
On March 14, Earl Valentine Jr. was convicted of murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, Sheriff Josh Price said in a news release.
Valentine was sentenced to 55 years in prison, according to the release.
A Saluda County jury found Valentine guilty of the Nov. 19, 2022, murder of Zonnie Cyrus Jr., Price said. Cyrus, 22, was shot numerous times, according to the sheriff’s office.
His body was found near a pond on Hi-land Farm Road, in the Monetta area of Saluda County, the sheriff’s office said.
Information about a motive for the killing was not available.
“This case took a lot of time and hard work to get justice for Mr. Cyrus,” Price said. “My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Zonnie Cyrus.”
Valentine’s case was prosecuted by Suzanne Mays and Doug Fender of the 11th Circuit Solicitor’s Office. Lexington attorney Robert Williams Sr. represented Valentine, according to Saluda County court records.
When Valentine was taken into custody, Montavis Barnes was also arrested in connection to Cyrus’ death, the sheriff’s office said. Barnes was charged with accessory to murder after the fact, and that charge is still pending, Saluda County court records show.
This was not the first time Valentine had been arrested. In fact, he’s been arrested again since Cyrus’ death.
Days after Cyrus’ body was discovered, the then-23-year-old Ridge Spring resident was arrested on Nov. 23, 2022, and charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, in addition to pointing and presenting a firearm, court records show.
More recently, on Feb. 8, 2024, Valentine was charged with murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, according to court records.
Charges from those incidents are pending.
Additionally, in 2019 Valentine pleaded guilty to a first-degree assault and battery charge, as well as a lottery/conspiracy charge in July 2022, according to court records.
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This story was originally published March 19, 2024 at 3:04 PM with the headline "SC man goes to prison for decades after 22-year-old was killed in shooting, sheriff says."
