BEAUFORT, SC (October 24, 2019) – A Burton woman has been convicted of murder for her role in the killing of a disabled neighbor who was slayed shortly after filling her prescriptions for pain medication.
Courtney Elizabeth Brock, 25, was found guilty Thursday for the murder of 56-year-old Teresa Seigler in December 2016. She was sentenced to 30 years in prison, following the verdict from a Beaufort County General Sessions Court jury of seven women and five men.
“Teresa had chronic pain and a number of prescriptions,” said Hunter Swanson of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, who prosecuted the case. “Beyond these drugs, about the only other thing she had to her name was a generous heart. Even though she had her own troubles and was of modest means, she was known for helping out neighbors who were struggling to pay bills or buy groceries.
“Brock was one of the people Seigler befriended, and she took ultimate advantage of the situation.”
Brock is the second defendant to be convicted of Seigler’s murder. In a separate trial this past April, Brian David Walls, 38, also was found guilty by a Beaufort County jury. Brock and Walls were apprehended in Marlboro County two days after Seigler’s death. Among the items in their possession were Seigler’s bank card and bottles of her prescription medicine.
Swanson called 18 witnesses during three days of testimony. Circuit Court Judge Kristi Curtis handed down Thursday’s sentence.
A third defendant – 27-year-old John Dontue Priester – has been charged with murder and second-degree arson in connection with Seigler’s death. His trial, originally scheduled for September but postponed because of Hurricane Dorian, is expected to proceed in early 2020. All defendants are considered innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
Swanson is the leader of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office Special Victims Unit and a member of its Career Criminal Unit, which prosecutes the circuit’s most violent and habitual offenders. The Career Criminal Unit has earned convictions against 340 of 354 defendants it has prosecuted since its inception in late 2008.
