Upstate man found guilty of murder after "bad drug trip"

A Boiling Springs man will spend the rest of his life in prison after police say a bad drug trip led to a murder. The 7th Circuit Solicitors Office says 24 year old, James Bridges Byrd has been found guilty of murder in a jury trial.

The charge stems from a shooting incident in 2021 that left a man named Kush Patel dead. Byrd was arrested at the scene. Court documents say Byrd told investigators he was on a mixture of LSD, Xanax and alcohol.

He believed Patel was attacking him, so he shot Patel. During the trial, Byrd tried to recant that statement. However, the homeowner who was present during the murder testified on behalf of the prosecution.