Poole Conviction Upheld

United States Attorney Bill Nettles, announced today that the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the case of United States v. Timothy James Poole in a 26- page opinion.

Timothy Poole, a former Florence County Deputy Sheriff, received a 400-year prison sentence on federal charges connected to the slaying of his mother and stepfather in June, 2010. Mr. Poole was convicted on 19 counts of mail and wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in connection with the murder of his stepfather and mother at Lakewood Plantation in 2006. At trial, the evidence showed that Timothy Poole murdered his mother and stepfather so that he could collect money from trust funds connected with their multi-million-dollar estates. The bodies were found on August 2, 2006. U.S. District Judge R. Bryan Harwell sentenced Poole to the maximum of 20 years’ imprisonment for each count to be served consecutively and also ordered Poole to immediately reimburse the trust funds approximately $58,000. Judge Harwell ordered the reimbursement of the trust funds under a state statute known as “The Slayer Rule,” which makes it illegal to kill someone and benefit financially from his or her death.

The trial was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alfred W. Bethea, Jr. and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Rose Mary Parham. The appeal was handled by Thomas Booth of the Appellant Section of the Justice Department in Washington, DC.

Mr. Nettles further stated that the successful prosecution of this case was a result of a strong collaborative effort involving the Williamsburg Sheriff’s Office, the SC Law Enforcement Division, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Additionally, Mr. Nettles praised the victim-witness staff at both the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau for their support of the family during the pendency of these district and appellate court cases.