Several Steps to Reach Hanahan Homicide Charges

Late Thursday, state and local law enforcement had enough to in the , 71.

According to Hanahan Police Lt. Michael Fowler, the road to those charges involved key finds from observant officers in Goose Creek and North Charleston, along with interviews that provided just enough information to track down the the evidence to allegedly link the suspects to the murder.

A bond hearing will be held Friday morning for Brittany Lynn Swagner, 24, Robert Andrew McFadden, 24, and Robert Randolph Clark, 39.

Don't miss a headline. Like Goose Creek Patch on Facebook!

Investigators knew early on that Bennett's Toyota truck was missing and that a neighbor claimed he'd seen two men in the truck just before he found the victim's body. The search was on Sunday for the truck, with a description and the licence tags released, but with no immediate leads. 

The first break in the case came Monday, when Clark voluntarily came in to the Hanahan Police station for an interview. There wasn't enough evidence to hold Clark in the case, but he was wanted for an unrelated outstanding probation violation. He has been held in the Hill-Finklea Detention Center since Monday, unable to pay the $50,000 bond.

On Tuesday afternoon, a Goose Creek police in the parking lot at the St. James Avenue Walmart. Surveillance video from a nearby gas station clearly . But police couldn't identify him until a North Charleston officer saw the evidence and recognized McFadden.

The second suspect came in for questioning. While investigators also couldn't link McFadden directly to the crime, Goose Creek Police were able to hold him for larceny in the alleged theft of the truck.

According to Fowler, it was in questioning McFadden that they were able to get the name of Brittany Lynn Swagner. From there, police were tipped off to check surveillance footage at the North Charleston Walmart in the hours leading up to the Sunday morning killing.

Fowler says that footage shows Clark and McFadden shoplifting several items, including duct tape. Bennett was found with his hands and feet tied to his bed with duct tape.

More: 

• See more on the Otranto homicide investigation
• Sign up for our daily newsletter