Morgan County Conviction on Jenkins and Garvin

A Morgan County jury convicted Tyequan Garvin and Terry Jenkins of home invasion, armed robbery, and hijacking a motor vehicle after a five day jury trial. The defendants began their crime spree on November 10, 2019 in Williston, SC where Jenkins stole a car from a Circle K convenience store. Inside the car were 2 handguns: a 9 mm pistol and a .380 pistol. Together, they traveled to Atlanta and stopped at a RaceTrac store in McDonough, Georgia. Masked and armed with the stolen firearms as well as a Glock 10 mm pistol, they robbed the convenience store and pistol whipped a customer, stealing her car. Her vehicle was equipped with OnStar capabilities and the car was turned off on I-20 in Buckhead, Morgan County around 4:50 am on November 11, 2019.

The two defendants were without transportation and walked the rural area looking for a car to steal. Around 6:45 am, they confronted the victim, 72, in his garage as he was getting ready to take his wife to work. Jenkins and Garvin demanded he get in the car and give them his keys. The victim struggled and Garvin shot him in the arm. The victim’s wife frantically dialed 911 and hid in the crawl space under their house to wait for the Morgan County Sheriff’s deputies to arrive.

The deputies quickly learned Jenkins identity as his own mother had contacted police to report Jenkins was him as the person who took the car from the Circle K. He was arrested not long after he returned to South Carolina after his cell phone was tracked, leading local law enforcement directly to his location. When Jenkins was arrested, he had on his person a 9 mm pistol that was in the vehicle he had stolen in Williston, SC as well as a 10 mm bullet.

Garvin was arrested 2 days later after he fled on foot from local police as they tried to arrest him. On his person was the Glock 10 mm pistol that was later identified by the State Crime Lab as having fired the shot that wounded the victim. Also found on Garvin were the victims car keys, the other pistol taken from the Circle K and a mask that witnesses identified was worn by the armed robber at the RaceTrac in McDonough.

A jury took approximately 3 hours to find the two guilty. Judge Alison T. Burleson sentenced both to 2 consecutive life sentences plus 20 years. They still face charges in Henry County for armed robbery and hijacking a motor vehicle.

The prosecution was led by ADA Jeff Burks and Chief ADA Alley Mauldin. The DA’s office would like to thank the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, the GBI, Henry County Police Department, Williston SC PD and Barnwell PD for their tireless work piecing the evidence together.