Walterboro man sentenced 60 years in prison after murdering ex-girlfriend in parking lot

WALTERBORO, S.C. (WCIV) — A man who shot his ex-girlfriend to death while on bail for a domestic violence charge was sent to prison Wednesday.

Justin Cole Carroll, 24, from Walterboro, was found guilty of the 2021 murder of Donasia Alexus Holloway. For the crime, he was sentenced to 60 years in prison, a release from the 14th Judicial Circuit said.

“Donasia tried to end this toxic relationship, and she tried to protect herself from her ex-boyfriend’s jealous rage,” said Hunter Swanson of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, who prosecuted the case. “But Justin Carroll refused to take no for an answer. He ignored a no-contact order, stalked her and killed her."

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Holloway and Carroll dates for several months. She ended the relationship after he was charged with domestic assault in January 2021. The charge came with a no-contact order. However, as she was on her way home from a beach vacation shortly after 10 p.m. on May 22, 2021, Carroll followed her into the parking lot of the Forest Point Apartment Complex, where she lived at the time.

She noticed Carroll's truck behind her, so she parked near a Walterboro Police Department cruiser assigned to a neighbor in the complex and locked herself inside her vehicle.

Holloway then made a short post to Snapchat, where she said Carroll's behavior "has to stop."

The video showed her ex-boyfriend walking up to the vehicle.

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Carroll then fired multiple shots toward the car. It was then that the officer who lived next door heard the shots and went outside.

The officer found Holloway dead in the front seat of her vehicle. She was shot four times with a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun.

Carroll was located by the Walterboro Police and Colleton County Sheriff's Office within hours of the murder.

It was ultimately the Snapchat video that led to his capture.

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In the case, 16 witnesses were called during three days of testimony at the Colleton County Courthouse.

Circuit Court Judge Robert Bonds handed down the sentence.

Carroll had a criminal history that included a 2016 conviction in Charleston for first-degree assault and battery. He received eight years probation, which was revoked after he was arrested and convicted of unlawful carry of a pistol and possession of a controlled substance.

He was sentenced to three years in prison and had recently been released when he and Halloway started dating.

Background: "Arrest made following deadly shooting outside Walterboro apartment complex."

If you are a victim of domestic violence and need resources, call 800-799-7233. If it is an emergency, call 911.