HAMPTON, S.C. (March 17, 2026) – The last of three men involved in a violent 2023 armed robbery in Hampton County has been convicted and sentenced, closing a case that left the victim beaten and fearing for his life.
Gregory Deran Black, 19, of Yemassee pleaded guilty Monday to armed robbery in Hampton County General Sessions Court. He received a 10‑year prison sentence for his role in the Nov. 10, 2023, incident, in which guns, ammunition, cash and a gaming system were stolen from a home in rural Hampton County.
“This defendant may not have initially been armed, but he left the scene carrying a handgun and property stolen from the victim, making him a full participant in this robbery,” said Assistant Solicitor Reed Evans of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office. “Black and his co-defendants made repeated threats, and the victim truly believed he might not survive.”
Black’s two co-defendants pleaded guilty in 2025.
Freddrick Dylon Boles, 22, of Yemassee, pleaded guilty to armed robbery, possession of a stolen vehicle, failure to stop for a blue light, and escape. He received a 20‑year sentence, suspended to 13 years in prison, followed by two years of probation. All sentences will run concurrently.
Randall Johnson Jr., 22, of Early Branch, pleaded guilty to armed robbery and a weapons offense. He was sentenced to 15 years, suspended to 10 years in prison, followed by two years of probation.
Investigators determined the crime occurred after the victim invited Boles to his home for target shooting. Boles arrived with Johnson and Black. During the visit, Boles turned a family heirloom firearm on the victim, initiating the robbery. Surveillance video captured the victim being forced through his home at gunpoint.
The trio fled with a 9mm handgun, $40 in cash, ammunition and a PlayStation 4 gaming system.
Circuit Court Judge Carmen T. Mullen handed down Black’s sentence.
Although Black has no prior convictions, he faces separate murder charges in connection with an April 27, 2025, shooting in Yemassee. Black is innocent of those charges until and unless proven guilty in court.
Evans is a member of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office’s Career Criminal Unit, which prosecutes the circuit’s most violent and habitual offenders. Since its creation in 2009, the unit has secured convictions in 543 of the 595 defendants it has prosecuted.
