South-Carolina
South Carolina man faces first-degree murder trial in deadly 2022 Fayetteville robbery
A South Carolina man will face a Cumberland County jury in November for his involvement in a deadly robbery at a Yadkin Road business.
Quinteel Pierre Harley, 37, of Loris, South Carolina, is charged with first-degree murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon in the death of Eddie Saez Jr., 34, of Fayetteville, who was shot and killed inside his Yadkin Road shop in 2022.
Harley’s trial is set for Nov. 14 in Cumberland County Superior Court. Assistant District Attorney Rob Thompson said it is the only murder trial scheduled for November.
Harley’s codefendant, Rasheem Grant, 32, of South Carolina, pleaded guilty March 5 to second-degree murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon in the killing. Grant was sentenced to 23 to 28 years, eight months in prison, according to court records.
Shopkeeper killed as he prepared to ring up items
According to search warrants, police responded to reports of a shooting around 3 p.m. Jan. 4, 2022, at Southern Swag City Boutique on Yadkin Road. Saez was found inside the store with a gunshot wound to the head, according to the autopsy report. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Shortly before the shooting, surveillance footage at the shop recorded a man exiting an Infiniti SUV, entering the business and browsing as if shopping, according to the warrant.
The warrant states a second man joined him in the store, and the two continued browsing before bringing items to the counter.
As Saez began folding the items, the warrant states, one of the men feigned payin,g and then two intruders pulled out weapons. The record states that the men are seen on surveillance video ordering Saez around the store before shooting him.
The warrant states that after the gunfire, one of the men collects a firearm near Saez’s body, before both left the scene in the Infiniti SUV.
The record says that several anonymous CrimeStopper tips identified Harley as one of the suspects after police released photos to the public in a bid to identify the shooters, according to the warrant.
The record also alleges that latent prints found at the scene matched Grant and that his Grant’s phone records showed he was in contact with Harley and in the area of the clothing store three minutes before the first call to 911 reported the shooting.
Grant was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Columbia, South Carolina, 10 days after the killing.
Public safety reporter Joseph Pierre can be reached at jpierre@gannett.com.
Columbia, Mo. — The South Carolina softball team (25-21, 4-13) dropped the second game of its series at Missouri (24-23, 7-10) 5-0 Saturday night (Apr. 18).
Kai Byars led the Gamecocks with a pair of doubles on the night. It was her second multi-hit game of the season and her first game with multiple extra base hits.
The Tigers scored a run in the third inning without the aid of a hit. They would extend the lead and add four more in the fourth.
Carolina’s best opportunity for a run came in third. Byars doubled to lead off the inning and Shae Anderson followed with a bunt single. A double play on a potential sacrifice fly ended the rally.
Emma Friedel (8-4) took the loss, allowing one run on no hits in 3 1-3 innings. She struck out six and walked three.
The rubber game of the series will be tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET.
Audi Crooks on being in the transfer portal
USAT’s Sam Cardona-Norberg catches up with college basketball star Audi Crooks, who is still looking for her next team.
Sports Seriously
Jordan Lee entered the transfer portal after a breakout season at Texas and the junior guard isn’t going too far. She’s staying in the Southeastern Conference.
Lee announced on Instagram Friday that she’s transferring to South Carolina to play for Dawn Staley after spending the first two years of her collegiate career at Texas under Vic Schaefer. Lee captioned her Instagram post, which featured a video montage of her visit to Columbia, South Carolina, “Feeling cocky.”
Lee was one of four players from Texas to enter the transfer portal after the Longhorns’ second consecutive trip to the Final Four ended in a devastating loss to UCLA. She was named to the All-Region team in the Fort Worth 3 bracket in this year’s NCAA Tournament following her Sweet 16 and Elite Eight performance, where she recorded 22 points, six assists, three rebounds and four steals while also providing strong defense.
After being limited to five starts her freshman year, Lee slid into the starting lineup last season and started a career-high 38 games. She also averaged career highs in points (13.2), assists (2.5), rebounds (2.5), steals (1.5), field-goal percentage (42%) and free-throw percentage (75%), while shooting 34% from 3-point range.
Texas’ Aaliyah Crump, Justice Carlton and Aaliyah Moore also entered the transfer portal. On Friday, Crump announced she’s transferring to Duke, citing her connection with head coach Kara Lawson.
“For me, choosing Duke University goes far beyond one sentence. The moment I connected with Kara Lawson and her coaching staff, I knew I was exactly where I belonged,” said Crump, who averaged 7.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game her freshman season at Texas.
Crump continued: “Their dedication and vision for the program is truly special, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a part of it. The connection Coach Lawson and I have built is one of a kind, and I fully trust in her plan for the success of this program. I can’t wait to be coached by genuine people who support my growth not only as a basketball player, but as a person as well.”
Three-time All-American Madison Booker and junior starting forward Breya Cunningham are expected to return to Texas.
Contributing: Mitchell Northam
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
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Each offseason, the NFL shakes up the landscape with free agency, as some of the top names at each position move around the league to new teams. The New Orleans Saints have fallen victim to this in 2026 so far, with Demario Davis and Alontae Taylor both moving on, and Cameron Jordan not having re-signed as of yet. Cornerback was a position that could already use a talent influx alongside Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley; now, it is even more of an issue.
Adding a new defensive back to fill the STAR role for the defense is certainly going to be a focus this spring, and that has been clear from the Saints’ pre-draft meetings. Recently, they added another name to the growing list; this time, it was South Carolina prospect Jalon Kilgore.
There is a lot to like about Kilgore, especially in that nickel or STAR role long term. He is enormously athletic and absolutely rapid both in straight-line testing and on the field. He got a decent chunk of his collegiate snaps at slot corner, 1,382 to be exact, but also had 541 in the box, 238 at free safety, 53 along the defensive line, and 24 as an outside corner.
His coverage metrics in 2025 were very solid, as on 65 targets, he allowed 34 receptions (52.3%) for 390 yards and 2 touchdowns. He picked up 2 interceptions, 10 pass deflections, 54 total tackles, and 2 fumble recoveries in 694 total snaps this season. Throughout the combine, he ended up performing well in pretty much every drill, which bodes well for his ability to translate to the NFL. If the Saints are looking to add someone with slot experience already, Kilgore may be one of the best options available.
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