Asked by news reporters what Rowland's motive might have been, top prosecutor Byron Gipson said: "It was absolutely a random act of violence. Indeed, Uber, which has declined to comment, has a list of safety tips that advises people: "Get in the right car. Josephson and her roommatesleft The Hub at Columbia, an off-campus student housing tower on Main Street, and drove together to a friend's house within walking distance to Five Points. High 74F. The legislation was subsequently passed into law. COLUMBIA The scene was pure college town post-midnight revelry. He circled the tightly packed network of streets, making a handful of U-turns, every move captured on video and matched with the Impalas shark-fin antenna and rims. He imagined she had left her phone in the cab at the time. The judge who sentenced Rowland said: She obviously put up an amazing fight against you and left a sufficient trail for the jury to see what you did.. The investigators found Samanthas blood in his car and her footprint on the rear window. "His selfish, unspeakable and violent actions created a hole in the universe, a hole in our universe, and we see the unimaginable ripple affect her world," she said in the WIS recording. The kid lock was also engaged, making it challenging for someone to enter the door from within. Rowland left Howard's house some time after 1:30 a.m. and headed to Five Points. The McDonald's visor she had left in his back window was gone. But he also used it as an opportunity to warn students about ride-share services and to use them properly. When she woke, he was gone. As reported by WYFF4, Josephson got separated from her friends, and reportedly contacted Uber for a ride back to her apartment. Some questions may never be answered even after Rowlands conviction and sentence of life in prison without parole. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. 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The day before Josephson disappeared, Howard and Rowland had driven to her mother's house in northeast Columbia to wash clothes. The Clarendon County, SC coroner determined Monday that Samantha was stabbed to death, saying she had "multiple sharp force injuries" when her body was found on Friday. The couple went from just talking to a formal relationship during the spring of 2017. Rowland used the child-lock to trap Josephson. But the family was there in Columbia, anyway, and they also attended a vigil at USC later, letting anyone who listened know that they weren't going to let what happened to Samantha happen to anybody else. The young womans name is Samantha Josephsonwas discovered dead many kilometers from where she was last seen hours later. The judge said the case was the "most severe" murder he had seen in court before. Winds light and variable. Did you encounter any technical issues? Corbishley received a call that night to meet Josephson's parents at the police station. COLUMBIA, S.C. (TCD) -- A South Carolina man was convicted and sentenced to life in prison Tuesday for the kidnapping and murder of Samantha Josephson, a college student who got into a car she thought was a ride-share in 2019. Rowland was supposed to wash the shirt at his sister's house in the Rosewood area and return it before Howard began her next shift at McDonalds the next morning. While she was driving the Impala, Rowland sat in the passenger seat with blue gloves and cleaned the car with the wipes and at one point scrubbed a multitool. Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. According to the authorities, a woman was carjacked by two men who stole money and items from her home. Josephson's friends then went to where her phone had last pinged in Rosewood, knocking on doors and looking for signs of the 21-year-old. Low 61F. At the time, he assumed she had forgotten her phone in the cab. Rowland, who was 24 at the time of the killing, is a resident of New Zion in Clarendon County, Columbus. A man was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday after a jury convicted him of murder in the 2019 killing of a South Carolina college student. A jury unanimously found him guilty of Samantha's murder after an hour-long deliberation. Investigators also found cleaning supplies and a two-bladed knife with Josephsons blood on them after searching the trash can behind Rowlands girlfriend's residence. Again, Rowland told her to mind her business. Cloudy with occasional showers for the afternoon. Samantha Josephson Murder: Suspect's Ex Allegedly Saw Him Bleach Vehicle Crime Suspect in Mistaken Uber Killing of Woman Allegedly Cleaned Car with Bleach Afterward, Says Ex Maria Howard. She was found dead in a field. The truly tragic tale of the fake Uber murder. However, according to him, Samanthas phone stopped in Rosewood, South Carolina. He told the court: "I have dealt with the heartless and you fall into that category, without any remorse whatsoever. And there was Samantha Josephson, standing alone just outside the group. The store owner offered closer to $150, and Rowland left without the cash. A man was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday after a jury convicted him of murder in the 2019 killing of a South Carolina college student. South Carolina's last execution tookplace in 2011 and there are currently 37 men on death row. Day 4 of Samantha Josephson case: full coverage of the trial of alleged killer Nathaniel Rowland 77,884 views Streamed live on Jul 22, 2021 The trial of the Nathaniel Rowland, the man charged. When she learned she had been accepted to Drexel Law School on a full scholarship, she decided to celebrate at the Bird Dog, a pub in the Five Points night-club area of Columbia. A beautiful 21-year-tragic olds death occurred just as things were beginning to go well for her. John A. Carlos II / Special to The Post and Courier. Provided, During Nathaniel Rowland's trial, State Law Enforcement Division investigatorDalila Jazic holds up the bloodied shirt taken from Samantha Josephson's body after she was stabbed more than 100 times. 2023 Cable News Network. He was caught and arrested on March 20, 2019. Greg Corbishley and Josephson met while out at Five Points when both were USC students and would become inseparable. Surveillance footage from the area she was last seen showed her waiting for a cab. Top 10 Most Frequently Asked Keto Diet Questions And Answers, Big Brother Season 23 Episode 13 Release Date & Spoiler. Since you only have one life, that sentence must be served for the remaining days of your natural life, Newman said. sfastenau@postandcourier.com. In addition to murder, Rowland was also convicted of kidnapping, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. ", "If there's somebody else in the car, she actually has a chance.". The prosecutions witness stated that Samanthas DNA matched Nathaniels under his fingernails at his trial in 2021. What happened to Samantha Josephson? Her phone was also in the Impalaand a torn envelope where a to-do list of sorts had been scrawled with "wrap whole body," duct tape, matches and gasoline. After a night out with friends in Columbia, South Carolina, Samantha asked for an Uber at around two in the morning on March 29, 2019. In March 2019, Samantha Josephson, a white 21-year-old from New Jersey, was finishing her senior year at the University of South Carolina. Furthermore, the child lock was activated, making it difficult for someone to open the door from inside. Samantha moved in the direction of the black car that had just parked itself. Setting: Columbia, South Carolina, United States . The Clarendon County, SC coroner determined Monday that Samantha was stabbed to death, saying she had "multiple sharp force injuries" when her body was found on Friday. Corbishley told her she had earned a night out with friends after the news of her law school scholarship. Wreck Season 1 Recap and Ending, Explained, IDs The Murder Tapes Help 712 Ive Been Shot Christopher Hoefling Murder, Lauren Harpe From Survivor 44: Everything We Know, Carolyn Wiger From Survivor 44: Everything We Know, Carson Garrett From Survivor 44: Everything We Know. Kraft told Rowland he smelled marijuana and Rowland admitted to smoking earlier in the day. She had planned to go to the Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law in Philadelphia upon her graduation. The former child star, infamous Calvin Klein supermodel, and Hollywood icon is at the center of two-part documentary "Pretty Baby," directed by Lana Wilson ("Miss Americana"). entered his car by mistake believing it was her Uber ride. "I am completely devastated and am praying for her family.". The young and ambitious woman was a senior at the University of South Carolina pursuing a degree in Political Science. But the judge said there was an avalanche of evidence against Rowland. A jury found the 27-year-old guilty of Samantha Josephson's murder on July 27, 2021 - we take a look at his life and what led to the killing. But I guess what I know and what I think really doesn't matter, Rowland said. Testimony, surveillance video and cell phone tower data presented in a week-long trial in Richland County court, which ended July 27, helped complete a picture of the roughly 24 hours from when Josephson disappeared to when Nathaniel Rowland was arrested and charged with her murder. "Sami, a 2015 Robbinsville High School graduate, was a vibrant young woman with an infectious smile and a contagious laugh. The Wrong Car: Shocking Details Of Samantha Josephson's Alleged Murder. Where is Lloyd Averys Killer Kevin Roby Now? Samantha's father appeared at the vigil, too, telling students: "I can't tell you how painful this is.". Its not on her ankles.. Rowland and Howard were old friends after having met in Five Points years before and had only just reunited earlier in the month when Rowland saw Howard smoking a cigarette on her break from her job at a McDonald's. Prosecutors also called Dr. Thomas Beaver to the witness stand. A chilling video also shows when Samantha Josephson entered the car: Over the weekend, the family was letting people know that they're not through, that they will work to honor Samantha's memory since the 21-year-old University of South Carolina student, unlike the alleged killer, had "purpose in her life. How Did She Die? Eventually, he pulled into a parking lot next to Bird Dog and backed into a space. At the time of the incident, she was just weeks away from graduation. The 21-year-old USC student had mistakenly gotten into a car Rowland was driving in Columbia, South Carolina, thinking it was an Uber ride she had requested on March 29, 2019, authorities said. Jurors have convicted Nathaniel Rowland of murdering Samantha Josephson, the New Jersey woman and University of South Carolina student who entered his car in late March of 2019, mistaking it for her Uber ride. Nathaniel Rowland, 27, was also found guilty of. Instead, I went to Columbia to gather her belongings, Josephsons grieving mother, Marci, said during victim-impact statements at the court hearing. A fingerprint on the envelope would be matched to Rowland and blood on the envelope belonged to Josephson. The young and aspirational woman was a political science major in her senior year at the University of South Carolina. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. In Columbia, Josephson and her roommates prepared for a typical Thursday night out during the spring semester at USC. After the burial, the Josephson family will sit Shiva, then visiting hours will be on Thursday after 3 p.m. and Sunday starting at 12 p.m. at the family's house. The 21-year-old New Jersey native was about to graduate from the University of South Carolina and was madly in love. "We thought we would be here to see his evil face," Marci said in the WIS recording. Rowland looked "shook" when he opened the door, Howard testified, as if he had seen a ghost. They had their eyes firmly fixed on their futures and their eyes firmly fixed on their love for one another, Gibson said of Josephson and her friends, according to the network. Authorities claim that two individuals carjacked a woman and stole money and other goods from her home. Authorities said Josephson was stabbed to death. "His actions were senseless vile and unacceptalbe," Marci continued. Nathaniel said in court, For whoever asked me for leniency, thats not part of my DNA. Then Nathaniel sold some of those things. 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