Crime & Safety

Three Arrested in Hanahan Homicide

Police believe money was motive in killing of 71-year-old Otranto man.

Three people have been charged with murder in the death of Roy Ray Bennett. The 71-year-old Otranto resident was found dead in his home Sunday afternoon.

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

The motive in the case is believed to have been money, according to Hanahan Police Lt. Michael Fowler. "They thought he had money, and he couldn't give it to them," Fowler said.

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According to police, video surveillance at the Walmart in North Charleston allegedly shows McFadden and Clark stealing duct tape, along with other items, at roughly 7:35 a.m. Sunday.

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Bennett was found at 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon, tied to his bed with duct tape and a bag put over his head. The Berkeley County Coroner's Office is waiting on a toxicology report before releasing the cause of death.

Police believe that Bennett knew Clark well enough to let him into the home, but they have not found any relationship between Bennett and the other suspects.

More charges may be coming for the suspects related to the crime. For instance, Fowler said police know of at least four firearms stolen from the home.

Fowler said investigators have not found a link between the suspects and Harry Shane Dupree, 39, of North Charleston. Dupree was arrested prior to Bennett's death and is still being held in Charleston County on charges of forging checks off Bennett's account. 

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