HAMPTON, SC (July 22, 2024) – A Varnville man convicted of shooting and killing three people will spend the rest of his life in prison.
Tyrase Akil Collins, 24, of Crews Street was sentenced Monday to three consecutive life sentences for the murder of 19-year-old Lamekia Mo’Asia Warren; 24-year-old Ghazi Abdul Duckett; and 32-year-old Frankie Lee Johnson, Jr.
In addition to the three life sentences, Collins also received 30 years for armed robbery and another five years for possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.
Collins’ sentencing was deferred following a Nov. 10, 2023, verdict in Hampton County to allow the presiding judge time to hear evidence on how Collins’ age may have affected his actions. Collins was 17 at the time of the killings.
Collins’ co-defendant, 40-year-old Lorenzo Boles, was found guilty of four counts of accessory before the fact during the November trial. He is currently serving a 45-year prison sentence.
“No amount of prison time, not even a life sentence, can undo the tragic loss that these victims’ families suffered,” said Reed Evans of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, who prosecuted the case. “Nevertheless, I am pleased that the judge recognized that Mr. Collins’ youth did not outweigh the deliberate brutality of these killings and sentenced him accordingly.”
Warren, Duckett and Johnson were each found dead inside a home on Priscilla Lane in the Hampton County community of Varnville. Duckett and Johnson had each been shot in the head and Warren sustained multiple gunshot wounds to her neck, chest, legs and arms.
At least three guns connected to the murders were seized by law enforcement during subsequent searches of Collins’ Crews Street home. They included: a Draco-style semi-automatic pistol belonging to Johnson found in Collins’ bedroom; a second gun ballistically linked to shell casings found at the murder site; and a third firearm originally belonging to Duckett found inside a bag.
Circuit Court Judge Robert Bonds handed down Monday’s sentence.
Evans is a member of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office Career Criminal Unit, which prosecutes the circuit’s most violent and habitual defendants. It has secured 60 life sentences since the team’s formation in late 2009. Evans has been with the prosecutor’s office since 2011.
