A Charleston jury convicted Jaquez Lawrence of murder in the 2021 shooting death of Anthony Holmes at Bridgeview Village Apartments while acquitting his brother Marquise on all counts. Jaquez also faced a weapons conviction, receiving 30 years for murder plus five consecutive years on the firearm charge.
Case Background
The August 2021 incident involved Holmes, 27, shot in the neck—a fatal injury confirmed by MUSC experts—and another man wounded but surviving amid heavy rain at the complex.
Police found bullet casings, blood on a car, and conducted a SWAT search for phones after the brothers fled.
Trial Testimony
Witnesses including the mother of Marquise’s child and her sister placed guns in both brothers’ hands during a family argument, with one claiming she saw Jaquez fire the fatal shot.
Defenses argued guns were common in the unsafe area and witness accounts conflicted, notably one saying Marquise wasn’t present.
Verdict Breakdown
Jaquez was guilty of murder and weapon possession but cleared of aggravated assault.
Marquise walked free on all charges, including murder and assault.
