35-year sentence for 2nd suspect in deadly robbery that took life of beloved Dillon County store owner

DILLON COUNTY, S.C. – The second suspect in JW Bailey’s shooting death was sentenced to 35 years Monday.

Judge Paul Burch sentenced Williams Mason to 35 years on the murder charge.

Under SC law, he will have to serve every day of the 35 years but will get credit for the time he has served awaiting trial, the 4th Circuit Solicitor Shipp Daniel told WMBF News.

“We are happy that justice has been served for Mr. JW and his family,” said Shipp.

In March, a jury found Joshua Manning guilty of 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.

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

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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.

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