Lexington Gunman Admits Holding Victim, Dealing Weed

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COLUMBIA, S.C. – De’Marionne Zaquann Miller, 22, of Lexington, copped a plea today in federal court, admitting he was a convicted felon illegally packing heat and using a firearm in his drug dealing. The case began with a frantic call from Florida.

On June 14th, Lexington County deputies raced to an apartment after a woman’s family drove all the way from Florida, fearing she was being held against her will. She’d sent her family desperate texts. As cops approached, they learned Miller had a warrant out for a probation violation.

Miller bolted from the apartment, ditching an AK-style rifle but not before deputies collared him. A quick search of his escape route turned up the weapon. Cops also found a backpack stuffed with cash, baggies of weed, and two cellphones. Inside the apartment, they discovered a vacuum-sealed bag of marijuana, a drug scale, and ammo.

Miller already had two strikes – previous convictions for escape and carrying a pistol illegally – making firearm possession a federal offense.

He now faces a potential life sentence, plus a $250,000 fine and five years of supervised release. Judge Cameron McGowan Currie will hand down the sentence after a probation report. The FBI Columbia Field Office and the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department jointly investigated the case, with Assistant U.S. Attorney William K. Witherspoon leading the prosecution.

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