HAMPTON, SC (Dec. 5, 2024) – A 25-year-old Brunson man who shot and killed an acquaintance in broad daylight has been found guilty of murder a jury trial at the Hampton County Courthouse.
Trampas Adam Prater was convicted Wednesday of murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime in the May 26, 2022, shooting death of 26-year-old Stuart Miller of Ravenel. He was sentenced to life in prison. In South Carolina, Prater is not eligible for parole.
“This defendant brazenly and wantonly killed a man and then threatened to do the same to others,” said Reed Evans of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, who prosecuted the case. “He is done terrorizing this community. Justice was served in Hampton County.”
Witnesses said Prater had a “crazy look in his eye” and threatened to shoot Miller while the two men were in the backyard of a Belle Lane home in Varnville. Three witnesses said they heard the gunfire. One of those witnesses stated they saw Prater pointing a gun at Miller. Before leaving the scene, Prater warned the remaining nearby people that whoever “snitched would be next.”
Later, a neighbor spotted Miller lying motionless in the backyard and called 911. Local law enforcement and investigators with the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division found a.40-caliber casing near Miller’s body.
Evans called 10 witnesses during the three-day jury trial. They deliberated for 90 minutes before returning a guilty verdict.
Circuit Court Judge Carmen T. Mullen handed down Wednesday’s sentence.
Prater’s prior criminal record includes a 2021 conviction for unlawful carry of a firearm.
Evans is a member of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office Career Criminal Unit, which prosecutes the circuit’s most violent and habitual defendants. The team has secured convictions against 503 defendants of the 553 defendants it has prosecuted since its formation in 2009. The team also has earned 64 life sentences. Evans has been with the prosecutor’s office since 2011.
###
