Trial date delayed for woman accused of murder with Christopher Dontell, solicitor’s office says

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — The trial date for a woman accused of murder with a former Horry County deputy coroner has been pushed back, the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office said.

Meagan Jackson was set to go on trial next week. The solicitor’s office said no new trial date has been set.

Jackson and former Deputy Coroner Christopher Dontell are facing murder charges in the October 2020 death of Gregory Vincent Rice . Rice’s body was found in the Pee Dee River on Nov. 8, 2020, according to authorities who said he had been shot multiple times. Jackson is the mother of Rice’s four children .

Both Jackson and Dontell faced new charges after their June indictment.

Dontell now faces accessory after the fact and conspiracy to commit kidnapping charges after indictments were secured, according to his attorney, Aimee Zmroczek, who said she was “displeased” and “disappointed” with the new indictments. Jackson also now faces kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping charges.

Jackson was out of jail on home detention when she was arrested in March and returned to the J. Reuben Long Detention Center for allegedly leaving her home in Conway to go to an apartment complex in Murrells Inlet. She remains on home detention, according to online jail records.

Dontell also remains in jail. Count on News13 for updates.

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Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here .

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