Convicted Murderer Jeriod Price Returns to SCDC

Inmate Jeriod John Price, 43, is back in custody of the S.C. Department of Corrections after his return from New York City. A call to a tip line led the authorities to a New York City apartment.

SCDC and SLED agents traveled to New York to return Price from Rikers Island’s West Facility to South Carolina custody. He is now at Kirkland Reception and Evaluation Center in Columbia.

The twist in Price’s case was that he did not escape. He was released March 15th under a secret order signed by a prominent judge who retired the next day. The order reduced Price’s 35-year sentence to 19 years. The S.C. Supreme Court overturned the order April 26. Price was arrested July 12th in the Bronx.

Price was convicted of murder in the 2002 shooting death of college football player Carl Smalls Jr., at a nightclub in Columbia. The police alledge the shooting resulted from a gang-related conflict. Price did not deny shooting Mr. Smalls, but argued he was defending himself.

A challenge to Price’s release reached the State Supreme Court, where justices also questioned the validity of the order and ultimately overturned it, effectively turning Price into a fugitive after he did not turn himself in.

Todd Rutherford, Price’s lawyer, has argued the order by former Circuit Judge Casey Manning was justified because Price had provided crucial help to prison officials that protected corrections officers from attacks and alerted them to an inmate’s escape.

He said the stealth nature of the order was meant to protect Price — who he believed was in grave danger because of the information he shared — rather than to hide a dubious judicial process.

Price, 43, is being housed in a single cell in SCDC’s most secure unit. He will remain there while the agency determines the best maximum-security prison for him to spend the remainder of his sentence. Any concerns about his safety will be addressed during the evaluation process.