Detric McGowan, Attempted Prosecutor and Witness Murder, South Carolina 2023

Spartanburg, South Carolina – In a shocking case of attempted murder of a prosecutor and a witness, Detric McGowan, a 47-year-old Piedmont man, has been sentenced to 35 years in federal prison.

According to a recent plea agreement, McGowan was involved in a large-scale drug trafficking operation in the Upstate of South Carolina. He was part of a group that distributed over $1 million worth of heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl in the area.

However, McGowan’s crimes went beyond simple drug trafficking. In July 2019, he began discussing with a cellmate the possibility of having his prosecutor and a witness killed. He offered the cellmate $10,000 to carry out the hit and even provided him with information on how to find the targets.

The plot was discovered by law enforcement, and an immediate investigation was launched. McGowan was recorded agreeing to pay the cellmate to kill the prosecutor and witness, and he even provided a telephone number and wrote down the name of the witness.

McGowan’s crimes did not go unnoticed. The evidence presented in court showed that he was a key player in the drug trafficking operation, and his attempts to have his prosecutor and a witness killed were a clear indication of his desperation.

United States District Court Judge Donald C. Coggins, Jr., sentenced McGowan to 420 months in federal prison, to be followed by 10 years of court-ordered supervision. The sentence is a testament to the gravity of McGowan’s crimes and the serious consequences that come with them.

The case was investigated by agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations. The threat was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Marshals Service, and the 7th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

Assistant United States Attorneys Jim May, Jason Peavy, Sloan Ellis, and Katie Stoughton prosecuted the case, bringing McGowan to justice for his crimes.

Related Federal Cases