Lexington, SC - Kevin Lawrence Pearson, 27, pled guilty last week to Voluntary Manslaughter for the shooting death of Rodney Isaac, Jr. The incident took place on February 8, 2017. Pearson received a 25-year sentence. The Honorable Frank R. Addy, Jr., was the presiding judge. This conviction is classified under South Carolina Law as a “no parole” offense.
On February 8, 2017, Lexington County dispatch received a call reporting multiple gun shots. The caller reported that the shooter left driving a Honda accord with a dog in the vehicle. The caller was able to provide a license plate tag number as well. When law enforcement and first responders arrived on scene, they located the victim, Rodney Isaac, Jr., with multiple gunshot wounds to the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The license plate tag number provided to law enforcement was determined to be registered to a Honda that belonged to Pearson’s sister. When Pearson’s sister was questioned shortly after the shooting, she stated that her brother did drop off her car and the dog. She also said that Pearson told her he did something bad. His mother confirmed that Pearson left her home that morning with the dog and his sister’s car. An eyewitness at the scene later identified Pearson as the individual that shot Rodney.
Approximately three weeks prior to this shooting, Pearson was shot in an unsolved drive by shooting at the Bojangle’s on Charleston Hwy. in Cayce. The investigation determined that Pearson believed that Rodney was involved. Based upon the investigation, Pearson targeted Rodney and others as retaliation.
Also, during the investigation, law enforcement obtained cell phone and Facebook records belonging to Pearson. Prior to killing Rodney, Pearson messaged multiple individuals asking them to shoot Rodney. Approximately twelve hours prior to the shooting, Pearson sent a message that suggested something would happen when he sees Rodney on Princeton Road where he was killed. After the shooting, Pearson sent text messages that indicated he was not ready to serve prison time and wanted to flee the state. He was able to evade law enforcement for approximately 16 months before being arrested in June of 2018.
Pearson is a validated gang member and believed to be a high ranking member. He has prior convictions for Assault High and Aggravated, Discharging firearms into a dwelling, disordering conduct, and a prior parole revocation. Pearson will be transported to the South Carolina Department of Corrections to begin the immediate service of his sentence.
Assistant Solicitor Sutania A. Fuller handled the prosecution of this case for the Eleventh Circuit Solicitor’s Office. This case was investigated by the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department with assistance from the Cayce Department of Public Safety.
