High-profile Charleston murder sentencing set Thursday

A Charleston County judge is set to sentence Darcellus Fishburne on Friday, April 24, after his hearing in the 2020 Tom DiLorenzo murder case was moved from Thursday. (abcnews4.com) Fishburne, 21, pleaded guilty to murder, armed robbery and attempted armed robbery, and he is scheduled to appear before Circuit Court Judge Jennifer McCoy at 9 a.m. in Charleston. The Ninth Circuit Solicitor’s Office said the date changed because McCoy is presiding over a jury trial expected to run through Thursday. (abcnews4.com) Prosecutors say Fishburne was 15 on July 17, 2020, when Tom DiLorenzo, 63, was shot during an attempted armed robbery in downtown Charleston. DiLorenzo was walking with his wife, College of Charleston Provost Suzanne Austin, near King and Clifford streets when they were approached. (abcnews4.com 1) (abcnews4.com 2) Police said the same group had driven from North Charleston in a stolen vehicle and committed multiple robberies in a short span that morning. Authorities said a 74-year-old woman was robbed at gunpoint about 20 minutes before DiLorenzo was killed. (abcnews4.com) The case drew years of attention in Charleston because the victim was the husband of a newly arrived top college administrator and because all three defendants were teenagers when they were charged. Solicitor Scarlett Wilson’s office said in 2020 that the juveniles were expected to be tried as adults. (abcnews4.com) (wyff4.com) Charleston County court records still list Fishburne’s General Sessions case as pending, reflecting that sentencing had not yet been entered as of the latest public index snapshot. The South Carolina Judicial Branch’s public records system directs users to county-level case records, including Charleston County General Sessions matters. (jcmsweb.charlestoncounty.org) (sccourts.org) Two co-defendants, Travis Wilson and Jaylen Grant, also were charged in the 2020 crimes, and their cases remain pending, according to ABC News 4. An April 2026 court roster shows Judge McCoy handling trials during the week of April 20 through April 24 in Charleston County. (abcnews4.com) (jcmsweb.charlestoncounty.org) Friday’s hearing is open to the public, and it is the first sentencing in the case nearly six years after the shooting on a downtown morning walk. The sentence will close one part of the prosecution while the remaining defendants continue toward their own court dates. (abcnews4.com)