S.C. man sentenced for fatally strangling woman and dumping her naked body in wooded area
11/13/2023 1:39 pm PST
EUTAWVILLE, S.C. (TCD) -- A 72-year-old man will spend the rest of his life in prison for fatally strangling a 34-year-old North Carolina woman and dumping her body in a wooded area in late 2019.
On Monday, Nov. 13, First Judicial Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe announced that a jury found Kenneth "K.C." Eastwood guilty of the murder of Cara Hodges after deliberating for just over an hour. A judge then sentenced Eastwood to life in prison.
According to the solicitor’s office, Hodges was visiting her father in Eutawville when she met Eastwood at Fishtales bar on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019. Hodges reportedly left with Eastwood, and a relative reported her missing two days later, the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office said.
Her naked body was discovered in a wooded area on County Line Road on Dec. 12, 2019. The pathologist concluded that she had been strangled.
The Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office interviewed Eastwood the next day, and he initially denied knowing anything about Hodges’ disappearance. However, he later told a co-worker that he fatally strangled her and dumped her body, according to the solicitor’s office.
The co-worker alerted law enforcement. Eastwood eventually admitted to killing Hodges, and deputies took him into custody. Further evidence supported Eastwood’s confession.
Orangeburg County Sheriff Leroy Ravenell called Hodges’ death a "senseless act of violence."
Deputy Solicitor Tommy Scott said in a statement, "I would like to thank the jury for their service and this verdict that holds Mr. Eastwood accountable for his monstrous crime."
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