Resolved case
Convicted
911 Available
Court Records
Ladson, South Carolina
•
May 22, 2021
•
Girlfriend
Stalking
intimate partner homicide
gun violence
Prior Domestic Violence Arrest
Active Protection/No-Contact Order
Digital Evidence / Snapchat
How to use this case file
Readers often arrive looking for the victim name, the case, the person charged, or the location. This page is meant to help you understand the memorial story, the documented timeline, and the public record available so far in one place.
Browse the full case archive, explore the warning signs index, see the cross-case timeline, or find domestic violence support resources.
Victim summary
This summary layer helps readers understand the person, the known case posture, and the documentary shape of the file before moving into the fuller reporting.
Case snapshot
- Victim: Donasia Alexus Holloway-Epps
- Age: 22
- Gender: Female
- Race / ethnicity: B
- Relationship: Girlfriend
- Offender: Justin Cole Carroll
Location and dates
- City: Ladson
- County: Colleton
- State: South Carolina
- Incident date: May 22, 2021
- Date of death: May 22, 2021
Case status and outcome
This section summarizes the documented court posture and procedural outcome reflected in the public record.
Status
- Case status: Sentenced
- Conviction status: Convicted
- Source strength: 7 linked sources
Charges and sentencing
Sentence: On May 7, 2024, Justin Cole Carroll was sentenced to 60 years in prison for the murder of Donasia Alexus Holloway-Epps, a 22-year-old woman he had previously dated. A Colleton County jury found Carroll guilty after evidence showed he shot Holloway-Epps outside a Walterboro apartment complex on May 22, 2021. Prosecutors argued that the killing occurred after the relationship had ended and that Carroll intentionally targeted her. The sentence was imposed following the jury's guilty verdict for murder, bringing the criminal case to a close after nearly three years of court proceedings. The prosecution emphasized the devastating impact of the loss on Holloway-Epps' family and community, while the court imposed one of the most severe penalties available short of life imprisonment. Carroll is currently serving his sentence within the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
Court monitoring
This section reflects core court-tracking details only when they are available in the public case record.
Warning signs and risk factors
These markers help readers connect a single case to broader patterns of coercive control, escalating abuse, and missed intervention points.
Warning signs
Risk factors
Prior domestic violence reports
Access to firearms
Escalating threats
Available records
These are the documentary layers currently reflected in the public case file.
911 audio
Bodycam
Court records
Life, memory, and case context
Donasia Alexus Holloway-Epps was a 22-year-old woman residing in Ladson, South Carolina. Remembered lovingly by her parents, brothers, and extended family, she was a devoted "pet-parent" to her dogs Rylo and Frosty. Donasia took proactive steps to protect herself from an abusive relationship, officially reporting a domestic assault and securing a no-contact order. Even in her final moments, she displayed remarkable presence of mind by parking next to a police cruiser for safety and recording the digital evidence that would ultimately ensure her killer was brought to justice.
Fatal incident and reported circumstances
On the night of May 22, 2021, Donasia Holloway was driving into a Walterboro apartment complex when she noticed her ex-boyfriend following her in a pickup truck. Attempting to find safety, she parked her vehicle next to a police cruiser belonging to an officer who lived in the complex. Justin Cole Carroll approached her vehicle on foot. Just before the shooting, Holloway captured a Snapchat video of his approach. Carroll fired a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun into the front seat, striking Holloway four times in the head and neck. The off-duty officer heard the gunshots and rushed outside, discovering Holloway deceased in her vehicle while witnesses reported a man fleeing in a truck.
Aftermath and case developments
Justin Cole Carroll was briefly detained and released due to a lack of immediate physical evidence, as no weapon was found in his vehicle. However, two days later, investigators accessed Holloway’s phone and found the Snapchat video of Carroll approaching her car. This, combined with apartment security footage, gunshot residue found on Carroll's right hand by SLED, and evidence that he wiped his phone before the murder, led to his arrest. The 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office prosecuted the case. In April 2024, a Colleton County General Sessions jury found Carroll guilty of murder, and Judge Robert Bonds sentenced him to 60 years in prison.
Prevention context
This case clearly illustrates the extreme danger periods that occur when a victim attempts to leave an abusive relationship. Warning signs and system barriers in this case included:Escalation after a break-up: The homicide occurred just months after Holloway ended the relationship following an assault.Violation of Court Orders: A judge had issued a no-contact order against Carroll, illustrating that legal boundaries alone often cannot stop a determined abuser without physical enforcement or monitoring. Stalking as a Precursor to Homicide: Carroll was actively stalking Holloway on the night of the murder, a well-documented red flag for intimate partner lethality.Limitations of Proximity to Law Enforcement: Holloway attempted to use environmental safety by parking next to a police cruiser, highlighting that victims often take the "right" preventative steps, but an armed and motivated abuser may strike anyway.
Court records and public filings
Public filings, police reports, court dockets, and related records help establish what is documented, what remains disputed, and where warnings were recorded.
News Article
The State v. Justin Cole Carroll (Appellate Case No. 2024-000722, Opinion No. 6158)
South Carolina Court of Appeals opinion affirming Justin Cole Carroll's murder conviction and 60-year sentence, addressing search warrants for cell phone data and cell tower records.
The State v. Justin Cole Carroll (Appellate Case No. 2024-000722, Opinion No. 6158)
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Additional evidence and source material
Some materials do not fit neatly into one category but still belong in the documentary record of the case.
News report
Woman, 22, shot dead outside Walterboro apartment complex
WALTERBORO (WCIV) — Walterboro Police are investigating after a 22-year-old woman was found shot to death outside an apartment complex late Saturday night, May 22.
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Woman, 22, shot dead outside Walterboro apartment complex
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News report
Arrest made following deadly shooting outside Walterboro apartment complex
On Tuesday morning, officials confirmed that 21-year-oldJustin Cole Carroll of Walterboro was arrested following the death ofDonasia Holloway Epps Saturday night.
On May22, just after 10 p.m., police responded to theForest Pointe Apartmentsoff of Forest Circle after receiving a shots fired call.
Arriving officers were informed of an unknown subjectrunning from the 300 building.
Officials then discovered a silver sedan with apparent bullet holes and located Epps, who had been shot to death, inside of her vehicle.
Carroll has had multiple interactions with law enforcement over the past several years.
He was previously charged by Charleston Police in October 2016 with five counts of attempted murder, to which he later pleaded guilty instead to a single lesser charge of first degree assault and battery.
In April 2017, Carroll received eight years of probation, which was revoked later in May 2018. He then was sentenced to three years in prison.
This came after an April 2018 arrest by the Charleston County Sheriff's Office. He was charged with three counts of unlawful carrying of a pistol, and one count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. He later pleaded guilty to all three gun charges, and the lesser charge of possession of a controlled substance first offense.
On January 13, 2021, Walterboro Police arrested him on charges of first degree domestic violence and possession of a firearm by a felon. He was released on $10,500 bond on Jan. 8.
The investigation into Epps' murder is ongoing.
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Arrest made following deadly shooting outside Walterboro apartment complex
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Video
Family remembers daughter, found dead in her car | Walterboro, SC
The family want people in domestic violence situations to get out.
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Family remembers daughter, found dead in her car | Walterboro, SC
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News report
Woman shot to death in Walterboro apartment
By HEATHER WALTERS
A Walterboro man has been arrested for shooting to death a Walterboro woman inside her car Saturday evening at a city apartment complex.
Donasia Holloway-Epps, 22, of Walterboro, died at the scene, according to Colleton County Coroner Richard Harvey. An autopsy on the shooting victim is scheduled for Friday.
Holloway-Epps was shot in the parking area of the Forest Pointe Apartment Complex, located at 504 Forest Circle in Walterboro.
On Monday, May 24th, officers with the Walterboro Police Department arrested 21-year-old Justin Cole Carroll, of Walterboro, and charged him with the murder of Holloway-Epps.
Law enforcement officers were called to the scene at about 10:30 p.m. after a 911-caller said that shots had been fired at the apartment complex. When officers arrived, they found the woman lying in the parking area. “While en route, officers were advised that there was an unknown subject running from the 300-building,” said Sgt. Tavara Edwards, with the Walterboro Police Department.
When officers arrived, the victim was found dead. She appears to have been shot multiple times, according to Colleton County Fire-Rescue Chief Barry McRoy.
“When officers arrived on scene, they observed a silver sedan with apparent bullet holes,” said Edwards. “Further investigations revealed that a woman had been fatally shot inside of the sedan.”
According to Edwards, investigators with the Walterboro Police Department are currently following up leads as they develop.
“This is an active investigation and limited information is available at this time,” she said.
The crime scene (parking lot) was located between buildings 200 and 300. This area was closed for about two hours while officers investigated the crime.
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Woman shot to death in Walterboro apartment
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Other record
Walterboro man who shot ex-girlfriend dead in parking lot found guilty
Confirmed the suspect's conviction, details of the crime scene (Snapchat video, four gunshot wounds, .40-caliber weapon), the prior domestic assault charge, and the no-contact order.
Walterboro man who shot ex-girlfriend dead in parking lot found guilty
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