The “suspicious death” of an Aiken County resident on Wire Road has been determined to be a homicide after the discovery of bullet fragments in the body, Coroner Tim Carlton said.
Nicky Cockrell, 49, of Wire Road, Aiken, was pronounced dead at his home at 12:07 pm Tuesday. He was discovered by a family member at about 11:30 a.m., Carlton said.
The death was initially labeled suspicious, but authorities took the body to Aiken Regional Medical Center to have an X-ray done and quickly determined it was definitely a homicide, the coroner said.
“We discovered some bullet fragments (inside the body),” Carlton said. “We wanted to make sure we weren’t spinning our wheels. It looked suspicious and that just confirmed it for us.”
A complete autopsy is scheduled in Newberry on Wednesday morning. The Aiken County Sheriff’s Office and the Aiken County Coroner’s Office are investigating the death of Cockrell.
The victim was a cabinet maker and carpenter working for a company out of Couchton. He was not believed to be married, the coroner said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office at 803-648-6811 or Crime stoppers of the Midlands: 888-CRIME-SC (888-274-6372). Tipsters can also visit aikencountysheriff.org. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward up to $1,000.
Note: We are looking for a photo of Mr. Cockrell to share with the public. If you have a photo or a memory to share of the victim, please text it to 803-487-3224 or email it to publisher@thejailreport.com
