Not guilty.... that was the verdict handed down in a Midlands Murder trial, Monday. A jury found Rick Chow not guilty in connection to the shooting death of 14 year old Cyrus Carmack-Belton in 2023. The verdict was rendered after the jury deliberated for 8 hours.
Chow is a former Columbia gas station owner who admitted to shooting the teenager but maintained his innocence. Prosecutors say Carmack-Belton was fatally shot in the back after he was falsely accused of stealing from Chow’s store on Parklane Road.
Court records say, Chow and his son Andy chased the teenager more than 100 yards. Chow's son testified that the teenager had a pistol on him and pointed it at him, which is why his father fired his gun.
In the the end, the jury handed down a unanimous verdict of not guilty nearly a week after the trial began.
