After careful consideration, Fourth Circuit Solicitor William B. Rogers, Jr. has decided to proceed with a retrial on the Dillon County murder charges against Robert Lee Nelson.
On July 27, 2012, Nelson was convicted by a Dillon County jury of burglary 1st degree, two counts of armed robbery, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.
He was sentenced to 47 years concurrent on the burglary and armed robbery charges, and he was sentenced to 5 years consecutive on the weapon charge by Fifteenth Circuit Judge Steven H. John. However, the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on two counts of murder, so a mistrial was declared on those two charges.
“I have discussed the case with the prosecution team and after reviewing everything from the trial, the obvious decision was to proceed with the retrial. We owe it to the victim’s family and to the memory of the Swaners to carry this case to its conclusion.”
The Swaners were killed in their home in the Oakland section of Dillon County on December 20, 2009 and their bodies were discovered on December 21, 2009.
No date for a retrial has been set at this time.
