Spartanburg County Solicitor's Office
Justin P. Paris, 35, pleaded guilty to murder, kidnapping and armed robbery.
A Lyman man received a life prison sentence without parole Monday after he admitted to stabbing a woman to death and kidnapping her four-year-old daughter.
Justin P. Paris, 35, pleaded guilty to murder, kidnapping and armed robbery. Paris repeatedly stabbed 38-year-old Amie Cordova, of Honea Path, to death on April 14, 2015. The murder occurred at the Jordan Road home that Paris shared with his parents.
After the murder, Paris took the child and fled the crime scene in the victim’s 2000 Ford Windstar. A short time after the murder, Paris and the child were located on the side of a Greenville County road in Cordova’s van. Deputies safely rescued the child and they used a police dog to take Paris into custody.
The couple knew each other a short time prior to the murder.
The investigation revealed that Cordova was stabbed with two different knives. Cordova’s blood soaked through the wooden floor of the home. The kidnapped child had dried blood on her, face, hands, arms and the soles of her shoes when she was rescued.
“It was one of the most gruesome crime scenes I have ever seen,” Solicitor Barry Barnette said. “The evidence showed that Justin Paris was full of rage when he committed this horrific crime.”
Paris entered a plea of guilty by mentally ill to Circuit Judge Mark Hayes. The mentally ill designation will not impact the length of the sentence. Paris, who was found competent to stand trial, is not eligible for parole or early release.