An Upstate man has been convicted for the 2021 killing of a police informant. 30 year old Antone Ellis Tremayne Blakely of Laurens, also known as "Cheese", was found guilty on charges of murder, third degree assault by mob, kidnapping, a criminal conspiracy, and a weapons violation.
He was convicted Friday evening after a Laurens County jury deliberated for about two hours. The charges stem from an incident in January of 2021, in which the 8th Circuit Solicitor's Office says, Blakely and others went to the home of Jarius Byrd and assaulted him, prior to Blakely fatally shooting and killing him. Byrd had worked with the Laurens Police Department as a confidential informant for over a decade.
30 year old Antone Ellis Tremayne Blakely of LaurensLaurens County Detention Center
The Solicitor's Office says public Facebook posts from Blakely were key in proving his motive and association to others involved in the attack. Blakely was sentenced to 40 years for the murder and received a 5 year sentence for the weapons violation. Those sentences are required to run consecutively.
On the other charges Blakely was given a total of 36 years, however those sentences will run concurrently.
