Sama C. Quinland, 22, of St. Croix, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter for the July 25, 2011 slaying of Spartanburg Community College student, DeAndre N. Fulton-Smith, 19.
Sama C. Quinland, 22, of St. Croix, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter for the July 25, 2011 slaying of Spartanburg Community College student, DeAndre N. Fulton-Smith, 19.
Spartanburg County sheriff’s deputies found the victim dead on the floor of his bedroom at The Reserve at Park West. Fulton-Smith sustained 22 stab wounds and two gunshot wounds to his head.
Deputies utilized DNA evidence and a stolen television to develop Quinland as a suspect.
The defendant was arrested in St. Croix last year and booked into the Spartanburg County jail on Aug. 28, 2012. He was initially charged with murder and armed robbery.
Quinland and Fulton-Smith met though an Internet web site. Quinland visited the victim’s home on the day of the homicide thinking Fulton-Smith was a woman. Quinlan stabbed and shot Fulton-Smith after realizing he was transgender. The homicide occurred in the heat of the moment.
Assistant Solicitor Kinli Bare said she is pleased to resolve the case without having to expose the victim’s family to the stress and the unpredictability of a trial. Bare partnered with Assistant Solicitor Abel Gray to prosecute the case.
Quinland’s prior criminal record included a 2008 conviction for second-degree burglary. He will serve 80 percent of Circuit Judge Benjamin Culbertson’s prison sentence before he is eligible for release.