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Arson Shock in New Ellenton – Young Couple Arrested for Murder in Fire Death

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A young couple is accused of killing an elderly New Ellenton man over the weekend, setting his house on fire and fleeing to Georgia in the victim’s vehicle, authorities said.

Suspects inArsonJayson Antonio Miles, 17, and Kayla Nicole Moore, 18, both of Aiken (right), are being held in Conyers, Ga., in the death of 74-year-old David Mackie (pictured above).

Mackie was found dead in the mobile home after firefighters extinguished flames at 1018 Cedar St., a press release says.

Based on the charges, authorities believe the teenagers conspired to commit the crime, robbing him and then killing him.

From Coroner Tim Carlton: “Mr. Mackie died from blunt force trauma and  sharp force injuries to his body. Although the his body was discovered as a result of a house fire however the fire itself did not contribute to his death. His death is to be ruled a homicide due to the fatal injuries he received.”

The fire was reported at 10:30 p.m. Saturday, and New Ellenton firefighters found the home fully engulfed. An investigation by the sheriff’s office and coroner’s officer was later assisted by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), since it was deemed “suspicious.”

David Mackie photoThe victim’s vehicle, a 1985 Ford LTD, was found by Morgan County Sheriff’s Office. Shortly afterwards, Moore and Miles were spotted by Rockdale County Sheriff deputies at a Waffle House in Conyers, Ga., where they were taken into custody without incident, according to a press release.

Aiken County Sheriff’s Office investigators met with Moore and Miles on Sunday in Rockdale County which lead to them being charged with the murder, robbery, criminal conspiracy and arson. They are awaiting extradition in the Rockdale County Detention Center.

New information. Details from a sheriff’s incident report fills in some gaps of this horrific crime.

The victim was letting one of the suspects – Kayla Moore – live at the home because she had no other place to go. While Mackie was found dead in the mobile home, he was actually living  with his son, Darnell Davis, on East Pine Street.

Mackie’s daughter, Sheba Mackie, told authorities that Kayla Moore had asked her Saturday if she could have a ride to Atlanta, but Sheba Mackie told her no.

Another odd detail: In the few hours before the fire, Kayla Moore went to a neighbor’s house “to get his son’s Airsoft gun in an attempt to fix it,” a sheriff’s report says.

An autopsy was scheduled for Monday morning, and it may shed some more light on the murder. Stay tuned…

(Note: If you have pictures or memories of the victim to share, please text them to The Jail Report at 803-487-3224.)

 

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Greg Rickabaugh
Greg Rickabaugh
Greg Rickabaugh is an award-winning crime reporter in the Augusta-Aiken area with experience writing for The Augusta Chronicle, The Augusta Press and serving as publisher of The Jail Report. Rickabaugh is a 1994 graduate of the University of South Carolina and has appeared on several crime documentaries on the Investigation Discovery channel.
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