26 July 2024 :
July 22, 2024 - South Carolina. Quincy Allen resentenced to life in prison
Allen, now 44, Black, was removed from South Carolina’s death row in the early afternoon of July 22, nearly 2 decades after a judge sentenced him to death.
“Mr. Allen, I think you’re a very lucky person,” state Circuit Court Judge Debra McCaslin said before resentencing him to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the fatal shootings of Dale Hall and Jedediah Harr in 2002.
Allen, 44, was resentenced according to his plea agreement with local prosecutors. The South Carolina 5th Circuit Solicitor’s Office agreed to recommend a life sentence — rather than once more seek a death penalty — in exchange for Allen’s abandoning any further court action or appeals.
Allen's court appearance on July 22 was the result of a successful appeal in federal court. In 2022, the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned his death sentence after finding errors by the original sentencing judge. The appellate court ordered a new sentencing hearing.
Solicitor Byron Gipson told the court July 22 that his office “struggled” with whether to pursue the death penalty again. He said the victims’ families wanted closure from the case and a negotiated life sentence would finally give them that.
