July 26, 2018
PAMPLICO MURDER SUSPECT IN CUSTODY
SUBJECT: Zafir Abdul Bethea, age 22, of 715 Harden Road, Pamplico, SC 29583, previously charged by FCSO Investigators with Murder (S.C. Code Ann. 16-03-010) and Possession of a Weapon During the Commission of a Violent Crime (S.C. Code Ann. 16-23-490) was returned to Florence, SC to face charges. See FCSO Booking Website for additional information.
NARRATIVE: Investigators with the Florence County Sheriff’s Office have returned Zafir Abdul Bethea to Florence, SC from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to face charges in connection to the October 1, 2017 murder of Ellie Becoat, III. According to Investigators, Bethea is alleged to shot Becoat with a handgun on Main Street in Pamplico, SC. Bethea has been charged with one count of Murder and one count of Possession of a Weapon During the Commission of a Violent Crime.
Bethea is being held at the Florence County Detention Center and will appear before a Florence County Magistrate at 3:00 PM today for an explanation of the charges. A bond hearing will be scheduled before a Circuit Court Judge in the future.
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Major Michael M. Nunn
General Counsel/P.I.O.
