Officials seek death penalty for man accused of killing 5 in Spartanburg Co. home

SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – Officials with the State of South Carolina announced Thursday morning that they will seek the death penalty against a man accused of killing five people in an Inman home.

James Douglas Drayton was arrested in October 2022 in Burke County, Georgia after he reportedly confessed to the murders of Thomas Ellis Anderson, Adam Daniel Morley, Mark Allen Hewitt, Roman Christean Megael Rocha and James Derek Baldwin.

On October 11, 2022, the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office responded to Bobo Drive where they discovered four of the victims shot to death in different areas of the home.

Rocha was taken to a nearby hospital where he was later pronounced deceased.

The following day, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office initially arrested Drayton for armed robbery after he allegedly robbed a convenience store on Highway 25 North and led deputies on a chase in one of the victim’s car.

The chase ended with a crash in Waynesboro a short time later.

A trial date and time for Drayton is expected to be set before September 12.

7NEWS will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.

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