Andrews Man Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Robbery and Murder of Postal Carrier, Co-Defendant Sentenced to Twenty-Five Years for Role in Robbery

FLORENCE, SOUTH CAROLINA ---- Trevor Raekwon Seward, 25, of Andrews, SC, was sentenced to life imprisonment along with a twenty year consecutive sentence after being convicted at trial for the murder of a federal employee in the course of her duties; use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence; robbery; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute marijuana.  Jerome Terrell Davis, 31, also of Andrews, SC, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to robbery and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute marijuana.   

Evidence presented by the government at Seward’s trial and at Davis’ change of plea hearing established that on September 23, 2019, Seward and Davis were anticipating the delivery of two pounds of marijuana that had been shipped from California through the United States Postal Service.  Rather than deliver the package to Seward’s residence in Andrews, SC, mail carrier Irene Pressley placed a form in Seward’s mailbox stating that the authorized recipient would need to come to the post office to claim the package.  After Seward confronted Pressley minutes later and failed to get the marijuana package, he returned home. 

Shortly thereafter, Seward’s home surveillance showed him leaving his home armed with an AR-15.  Davis then picked up Seward and the two went in search of Pressley.  After determining where Pressley was on her mail route, Davis dropped Seward off on Senate Road in Andrews, SC.  Davis then left the area and a short time later, approximately one hour after she had left the form in Seward’s mailbox, Pressley was driving down Senate Road in Andrews, SC, when Seward fired approximately twenty rounds of from his AR-15 into the back of Pressley’s vehicle, striking her multiple times.  Seward then got into Pressley’s vehicle and drove approximately three miles away, where he left Pressley and her vehicle in a ditch on an access road to a hunt club.  While on the access road, Seward removed mail from Pressley’s vehicle and searched through packages for the package intended for his residence or any other items of value. The package of marijuana that had been shipped to Seward’s residence was later found on Senate Road where Pressley had been shot by Seward.

United States District Judge Donald C. Coggins sentenced Seward to life imprisonment for the murder of Irene Pressley.  Seward was also sentenced to a 20-year consecutive sentence for using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, as well as concurrent sentences for the robbery, felon in possession of a firearm and marijuana conspiracy charges.  Judge Coggins sentenced Davis to the maximum possible sentence of 20 years for the robbery and 5 years for the marijuana conspiracy, with those sentences to be served consecutively for a total of 25 years. Davis’ prison sentence will be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. 

“Every member of our community deserves to live, work, and play without fearing for their lives,” said U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs.  “These sentences will never replace the loss of Irene Pressley.  But they represent the commitment of this office, and our law enforcement partners, to fighting violent crime, protecting federal workers, and keeping our communities safe.”

“No sentence can pay for the loss of a loved one, but we hope the justice served will bring some meaningful measure of closure to Irene Pressley’s family, friends, and colleagues,” said Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division. “The sentences issued show the strong determination of the US Postal Inspection Service to protect our employees and to work diligently to bring justice to criminals who assault or viciously attack them.  We are grateful for the collaborative investigative work performed by our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”

“The senseless murder of Irene Pressley has had a profound impact on our community,” said Williamsburg County Sheriff Stephen R. Gardner. “We are thankful that those responsible have now been held fully accountable for their actions and we greatly appreciate the opportunity to work alongside the United States Postal Inspection Service and our other law enforcement partners to obtain justice for the Pressley family.”

The case was investigated by agents of the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Williamsburg County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (“SLED”) and the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant United States Attorneys Nick Bianchi, Katherine Flynn and Elle E. Klein prosecuted the case.

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