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Date: 03-27-2024
Case Style:
Case Number: 0:22-cr-00122
Judge: Sherri A. Lydon
Court: The United States District Court for the District of South Carolina (Richland County)
Plaintiff's Attorney: The United States Attorney’s Office for Columbia
Defendant's Attorney: Andrew B. Farley - 803-359-0428
Description:
Lancaster County Man Who Discarded Murder Victim on Westville Highway Sentenced to Federal Prison for Gun and Drug Offenses
Shannon Layne Myers, 40, of Lancaster, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a wide range of federal gun and drug charges, including conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin, four counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine or heroin, three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, two counts of possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
Evidence presented to the court showed that Myers was helping to lead a drug distribution operation in Lancaster and Kershaw counties, which was being directed by Daniel Shannon, an inmate serving a life sentence in the South Carolina Department of Corrections. After coming to believe that one of his drug couriers had been robbed, Shannon sent his associates to retaliate, and a Kershaw man was shot and killed in September of 2019. Daniel Shannon then sent Shannon Myers to help clean up the murder scene, and Myers discarded the victim’s body alongside a highway in Westville.
In November of 2019, agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office executed search warrants at Myers’ home in Lancaster, where they found over 700 grams of methamphetamine, smaller quantities of heroin and other drugs, cash, scales, drug ledgers, and several loaded firearms. Myers was arrested but released on bond in the spring of 2020. He and his associates quickly went back to dealing drugs, and he was even captured on video waiving a gun in front of drug customers, while weighing methamphetamine and counting money. Investigators searching his home in June 2020 once again found drugs, scales, and a loaded gun.
“These defendants operated without regard for life or the law,” said Adair F. Boroughs, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina. “Illegal drug trafficking rings like this jeopardize the health and safety of our community.”
“This lengthy sentence highlights the severity of Myers’ actions and their impact on the community,” said Kyle Burns, Acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI Charlotte, which covers North and South Carolina. “HSI is committed to holding those accountable who recklessly distribute their poison into our communities.”
“Inmates with illegal contraband cellphones are the biggest threat to public safety in America, and this is another tragic example,” said Bryan Stirling, Director of the South Carolina Department of Corrections. “We need a permanent solution to remove this menace from society and make our communities safer.”
Myers pleaded guilty to all charges the day before he was scheduled for trial in October of 2023. The leader of the conspiracy, Daniel Shannon, also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in federal prison in June of 2023.
United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon sentenced Myers to 360 months imprisonment, to be followed by a five-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, South Carolina Department of Corrections-Office of Inspector General, Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office, and the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chris Schoen, Everett McMillan, and Ben Garner prosecuted the case.
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