DILLON COUNTY, S.C. — A man involved in a deadly shootout that left two people dead in Dillon County has been sentenced to prison, but a key medical finding means he will not be convicted of murder. Prosecutors said a forensic review changed how the case was charged, leading to a plea that avoids a formal admission of guilt.
Defendant Enters Alford Plea to Attempted Murder
Fourth Circuit Solicitor Mike Burch announced that Ryheem Odom entered an Alford plea on April 6 to an attempted murder charge. An Alford plea allows a defendant to plead guilty while still maintaining innocence, acknowledging that prosecutors likely have enough evidence to win at trial.
Odom’s plea came in connection with a March 21, 2020 double shooting on McCoy Chapel Street in the Little Rock area of Dillon County.
2020 Shootout Left Two Dead
The incident originally led to serious charges after Dearus McLean and Karan Charles, both residents of Dillon County, were killed in the shooting. Prosecutors examined the sequence of events and evidence from the scene.
According to Solicitor Burch, evidence showed Odom fired a shot that struck Charles, but investigators also found that McLean, who was Odom’s cousin, had already shot Charles earlier in the incident.
Medical Findings Affect Charges
Burch said that after consulting with a forensic pathologist, the medical evidence indicated Charles was already fatally wounded before Odom’s shot. Because of that, the original murder charge against Odom was reduced to attempted murder.
The medical findings and the timeline of the shooting played a central role in the decision to lower the charge. Odom then entered the Alford plea, allowing prosecutors to secure a conviction while recognizing uncertainty over his exact role in causing Charles’ death.
What an Alford Plea Means
An Alford plea is a legal option in South Carolina and other states in which a defendant accepts a conviction without admitting to the criminal act. It is often used when the defendant believes a jury might convict at trial based on strong evidence, even if the defendant maintains innocence or disputes the charge.
Under this plea, Odom is treated as legally guilty of the attempted murder charge and will be sentenced accordingly.
Prosecutor Statement and Case Context
Solicitor Burch explained the decision to reduce the charge in a news release, emphasizing that the charge reflected the medical evidence and circumstances of the shooting. The plea and sentencing bring closure to part of the long‑running case that began with the 2020 deaths of McLean and Charles.
Prosecutors and law enforcement continue to treat the case seriously, and court records reflect that the legal process moved forward as new evidence and expert findings became available.
