Jury convicts man in deadly robbery that took life of beloved Dillon County store owner

DILLON COUNTY, S.C. – A jury has convicted a man of shooting and killing a store owner in Dillon County.

A jury found Joshua Manning guilty on Wednesday afternoon for murder, robbery, larceny and possession of a weapon during a violent crime in connection to J.W. Bailey’s shooting death.

Life in prison is automatic for the murder charge. Manning received the maximum sentence for each additional charge.

“We are happy that justice has been served for Mr. JW and his family, and we thank the jury for its service,” said Shipp Daniel with the 4th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

Authorities said Manning shot and killed Bailey during a robbery on Dec. 12, 2019.

RELATED COVERAGE | ‘What a sad day’: Dillon Co. community mourns after store owner killed during robbery

The Dillon County Coroner identified J.W. Bailey, a convenience store owner, as the victim of Thursday night's robbery.((Source: Keith Bailey))

Daniel said the defense didn’t call any witnesses to the stand during this week’s trial.

He added that closing arguments wrapped up Wednesday morning. The jury was given the case on Wednesday afternoon and it only took a matter of hours to reach a guilty verdict.

WMBF News is waiting to hear how long Manning will be sentenced.

Bailey was a beloved member of the Dillon County community. He owned his convenience store for more than 40 years and spent 50 years with the Dillon Fire Department.

Charges for William Mason, the second suspect in Bailey’s murder, are still pending according to the 4th Circuit Solicitors Office.

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