Greenwood, S.C.; February 9, 2024 – A Greenwood man will spend the next 20 years in prison after pleading guilty Thursday to a charge stemming from an incident in which he shot his girlfriend during an argument, 8th Circuit Solicitor David M. Stumbo announced Friday.
Vernard Eugene McBride, 28, of Greenwood, chose to plead guilty as charged to one count of attempted murder in advance of his upcoming trial date. Circuit Judge Eugene Griffith accepted McBride’s plea and imposed the negotiated 20-year prison sentence. Due to the violent nature of this offense, McBride will not be eligible for parole on his prison sentence.
In March 2023, the victim was giving McBride a ride to court for his initial appearance on a domestic violence charge. They got into an argument about McBride bringing a gun with their child in the car. McBride then shot the victim twice in the torso. The child ran to a neighbor’s house and the neighbor called 911. The victim identified McBride as the shooter while law enforcement rendered aid. Investigators recovered nearby home surveillance video of McBride standing over the victim after he shot her and then later discovered a gun consistent with the one used to shoot the victim hidden in his attic.
Senior Assistant Solicitor Elizabeth Taylor handled the case for the state with assistance from 8th Circuit Victim Advocate Rhetta Smith and 8th Circuit Investigator Blake Moore. McBride was represented by Colie Stancil of the 8th Circuit Public Defender’s Office.
Solicitor Stumbo praised the work of his staff along with the Greenwood Police Department in securing the conviction and lengthy prison sentence.
“Domestic violence continues to plague our communities in South Carolina and across the nation,” Solicitor Stumbo said following the sentencing. “This office will continue to lock arms with our law enforcement officers and other partners across the Greenwood community to fight for victims of domestic violence and give them a path to becoming a survivor of such abuse.”