An Upstate man is set to spend more than four decades in prison after a deadly shooting in Laurens County, last year. The 8th Circuit Solicitor's Office says Vincent Marc Viner of Clinton was found guilty of murder and a weapons violation in a jury trial, last week.
The charges came after the Clinton Police Department responded to a shooting in March of last year. When police arrived they found a victim identified as 69 year old, Rufford Lee Jones in a pool of blood. Jones, an Army veteran later died after being taken to a hospital. Viner was found near the scene and was armed with a pistol.
Court records show that Viner told investigators he went to the victim's home and confronted him. However, he claimed to have shot Jones in self defense, a story that the jury didn't buy. Viner has been sentenced to 45 years in the state prison system and he will not be eligible for early release.
