Rowland is accused of kidnapping and killing University of South Carolina student Samantha Josephson in March of 2019. In March 2019, Samantha Josephson, a white 21-year-old from New Jersey, was finishing her senior year at the University of South Carolina. Hours later, the young woman was found murdered many miles away from where she was last seen. Police concluded that Mr. Rowland had used this feature to trap his victim, because Josephson would not have been able to open the rear doors or windows. Additionally, it provides $500,000 in grants for colleges to educate students about ride-share safety and creates a study commission to examine ways to improve ride-share safety. Asked by news reporters what Rowland's motive might have been, top prosecutor Byron Gipson said: "It was absolutely a random act of violence. Beaver said that Josephson also sustained wounds to her head, and had defensive-type injuries to a palmnamely, two parallel stab wounds that went through her hand. That probably happened when she was dragged by her feet to where she was dumped. Samantha's father appeared at the vigil, too, telling students: "I can't tell you how painful this is.". COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Several key investigators took the stand Thursday in day three of the trial of Nathaniel Rowland. "The door was locked. A stab wound that cut her carotid artery and made her bleed out. During the sentencing, her devastated mom Marci Josephson said: Her dreams were my dreams, and her death was my death. Samantha Josephsons DNA was found on his bandana, shoes, and socks, and under his fingernails. If were not supposed to pay attention to what the scientists tell us, then why are we sending stuff to science? 5. . Prosecutors also rested their case Monday after calling. [10] She attended the University of South Carolina (USC), where she majored in political science. He could not say for certain that she was not strangled, however, he said. Thomas Beaver testifies about Samantha Josephsons death. The murder weapon being shown to the jury. The final moments, her bare feet kicking and fighting for her life. In addition to facing fines, one guilty of misrepresenting themselves as an authorized TNC driver may be incarcerated for up to 30 days while one who uses ride-sharing in the furtherance of criminal activity may face up to 2 years of incarceration. One of Rowland's strikes went completely through her right hand, as she likely used it to protect herself. We're continuing to follow that trial on the death of Samantha Josephson, who prosecutors say mistook Rowland's car for her Uber ride in Five Points. . Refresh Your Dated Kitchen Cabinets And Save 75%, 9 NJ Hospitals Among Top 250 In New National Rankings, $3.5M For Small Businesses In Mercer Co. [3][9], Samantha Lee Josephson was born in Princeton, New Jersey, and grew up in Robbinsville, New Jersey. Her story was corroborated by phone records; at 5:31 a.m., she sent him a text, Wya, meaning, Where you at?, Mr. Rowland eventually showed up in his black Impala. She asked why he was washing the car with wipes. He was charged with kidnapping, murder, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime in April 2019. The presiding judge, Clifton Newman, was black, and several of the jurors were black. Josephsons blood was also found on a sock and a bandana, both owned by Rowland. Josephsons bare footprint was on the cars rear window, a sign that she had tried to kick her way out. My guess and its only a guess is that Mr. Rowland wanted to humiliate, rape, and kill a white woman. Beaver's testimony went to the. At USC, Samantha was majoring in political science, according to her obituary. [26][18], On July 27, 2021, Rowland was found guilty of kidnapping and murdering Josephson and of possessing a weapon during a violent crime after the jury deliberated for a little over an hour. The bill would also regulate the sale of official ride-share signage, require a Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report on incidents of assault and abuse of passengers and drivers, and require the GAO to examine the nature and specifics of background checks that are conducted by companies and the state standards of background checks. (Source: Handout/WACH via FOX Edge) Gipson said . Samantha Josephson's murder prompted several measures to increase awareness and safety when using rideshare services. This is what one would expect to see if someone were trying to defend themselves from a stabbing, the forensic pathologist said. The South Carolina student mistakenly got into the back seat of Nathaniel Rowland's Black Impala, believing it was her Uber driver. Samantha, 21, got into Rowlands car after a night out in Columbias Five Points entertainment districtthinking it was an Uber ride that would take her back to her apartment, prosecutors said. East in Princeton Junction. She earned a full scholarship to Drexel University, as . Steam Replay offers a Wrapped-style recap of your 2022 in gaming Steam Replay is like Spotify Wrapped, but for your PC gaming through Steam, and offers charts and diagrams to illustrate what you played and when. [5] On July 27, the jury found Rowland guilty of Josephson's kidnapping and murder and the judge sentenced him to life in prison. All roads led to you, he told Mr. Rowland. For what? ", Marci then implored the court to keep Rowland in jail, and that he "should never be given the right to walk free again.". She was last seen getting into a car at approximately 2 a.m. on March 29. He was not willing to pay $300, so he gave it back. Josephson was murdered in the early hours of March 29, 2019 by twenty-four year old Nathan Rowland after getting into his vehicle which . There was also a spotted sheet in the bag with Josephsons DNA on it. Over and over and over, fighting for her life, locked in his car." Wasn't an issue for my friend who I saw get stabbed to death before a punch was thrown either. Rowland was charged with obtaining goods under false premises. Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ, NJ WOMAN WAS KILLED: HOW TO BE SAFEST WHEN USING UBER, LYFT, NJ man kept girlfriends corpse in garbage bag for 5 months, report says, French-inspired bakery opens 2nd NJ location, Shots fired inside Wawa store in Ewing, NJ. Beaver, who testified to a 29-year career with 10,000 autopsies, said during direct examination that DNA is not always found under fingernails. ", "If there's somebody else in the car, she actually has a chance.". Several cameras caught the car in motion, as Mr. Rowland circled several times around the Bird Dog, making U-turns, like a shark hunting for prey, as an officer later put it. COLUMBIA Samantha Josephson was a fighter, who tore her fingernails as she clawed her attacker before she was killed while locked in the back of a black sedan that she thought was her Uber. [44] It requires ride-share vehicles to have front license plates and illuminated windshield signs along with scannable or quick-response codes on the sides. KTLA 5 reports said the wounds were so serious that only 1.3 tablespoons of blood were left in her body when she was found. Then why do we do it? Nathaniel Rowland was charged with murder and kidnapping in the death of 21-year-old Samantha Josephson. Facebook. Legislation at the federal level is pending. @LawCrimeNetwork pic.twitter.com/vpa5YKqC1J, Cathy Russon (@cathyrusson) July 26, 2021. Mr. Rowlands trial, which brought to light many details of the murder, began on July 19 and ended on July 27. RM T29H53 - Columbia, South Carolina USA - March 31, 2019: University of South Carolina students mourn the death of their slain fellow Gamecock Samantha Josephson during a candlelight vigil held in her honor. 9/18/19 Graphic Warning: Autopsy report shows victim stabbed twice, if not three times. The University of South Carolina student from Robbinsville, New Jersey, disappeared. A stab wound behind her ear, through her skull, and into her brain. [33] The act requires ride-share vehicles to display license plate numbers on the front. Nathaniel Rowland, now 27, is accused of kidnapping and killing South Carolina student Samantha Josephson, 21, in March 2019. [50] Her diploma and college possessions were given to her mother. The alleged victim was carjacked by two men while at a traffic light in October 2018. Rowland faces up to life in prison if convicted. "Last-minute congressional blitz clears bill named for N.J. woman killed by fake Uber driver". [38] The act requires ride-share drivers to display a printed license plate number on the front of their vehicles and, as of July 1, 2020, to have illuminated signs on their vehicles. Josephson's parents also established the What's My Name foundation, which raises awareness about rideshare safety and encourages providers to enact policies that help riders ensure they are getting into the right car. Indeed, Uber, which has declined to comment, has a list of safety tips that advises people: "Get in the right car. Possession of a firearm during commission of a violent crime, "ROWLAND, NATHANIEL DAVID (00386010) INMATE", "A college student got into a car she thought was her Uber, police say. Rose said in a message on his Twitter account he is introducing legislation requiring rideshare vehicles to be identified by illuminated signage. Mr. Rowlands shirt was also found in the bag. NBC 10 reports that 21-year-old Josephson had "numerous wounds evident on multiple parts of her body to The act creates a new criminal penalty for impersonating a ride-share driver and makes assaulting a ride-share driver a misdemeanor. The area was called 5 Points and was heavily viewed on social media when video surveillance footage began circulating of Josephson getting into a black Chevy Impala around 2am. Samantha went missing for hours before she was found more than 60 miles away, in Clarendon County, about 40 feet off a dirt road, police said. She called to tell him she had sent for an Uber to take her home, and he tracked her ride, using the Find My Friend app. According to authorities, Rowland activated the child locks so that the doors could only be opened from the outside, thereby trapping Josephson inside the vehicle. States that do not comply would be penalized by losing 1% of federal highway funding. Mr. Rowland said, I know Im innocent, but I guess what I know, what I think really doesnt matter. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Their daughter was at Miss Howards mothers house, and they went to pick her up. The childs shoes had blood on them when they got home, and Miss Howard texted her mother about that. Detectives said she had just ordered a lift on the popular hail-a-ride app - but the real Uber driver later cancelled the journey after she failed to show up. Additionally, Josephson suffered a severed hyoid bone, as well as stab wounds to her face, neck, shoulder, torso, back, lung, leg, and feet. But the victims DNA was allegedly found under Rowlands fingernails. The state announced Monday afternoon that it . Later that night, surveillance cameras from two ATMs caught a man of the same size and build as Mr. Rowland unsuccessfully trying to withdraw money using what the ATMs detected to be Josephsons bank card. Was Mr. Rowland pretending to be an Uber driver? April 2, 2019 Examined May 03 4:31 13:00 11:16 11:44 13:58 May 25 11:45 7:42 7:31 8:01 7:41 5:33 Oct 30 Amid their investigation into Josephson's disappearance, authorities obtained CCTV footage of the USC student waiting for a ride and eventually getting into a black Chevrolet Impala. WLTX 7/26/2021. The double-bladed multi-tool had both Mr. Rowlands and Samantha Josephsons DNA on it. A jury found the 27-year-old guilty of Samantha Josephsons murder on July 27, 2021 - we take a look at his life and what led to the killing. When a reporter asked prosecutor Byron Gipson, he said, It was absolutely a random act of violence. He testified that the average human has over a gallon of blood in his body, but Josephson had only two tablespoons, making it hard to get a large enough sample even for toxicology tests. The crossed-arms image in this post is the Wakanda Forever salute. She no longer went partying with him, she said, because she was working double shifts at McDonalds to support the daughter they had together. A murder trial is currently underway following the tragic death of Samantha Josephson. Rowland is accused of kidnapping and killing University of South Carolina. The foundation works to educate people about ride-share safety, along with supporting charitable foundations and awarding college scholarships. "He's taken away a piece of our heart, soul and life. The U.S. Sun reports authorities later found a knife, which possibly belonged to Rowland, covered in Samantha Josephson's blood. University of South Carolina student Samantha Josephson's death was caused by "multiple sharp force injuries," law enforcement officials said Monday. Following his arrest, authorities reportedly made a number of gruesome discoveries inside the vehicle. [18], Josephson's roommates became concerned and reported her missing the day after she accidentally entered the vehicle. Her work shirt was still wet from being washed, but she put it on. Her killer got to her first. There was a strong smell of marijuana coming from the car. . Lucas Daprile has been covering the University of South Carolina and higher education . He assumed she had left her phone in the Uber car. She asked where her visor was, and he replied, In the country., He told her that it had blood on it. Ride-share vehicles must also have an identifying marker on the front windshield and back window.
In What Style Was Exodus Written, Tottenham Nightclubs 1980s, Allenby Pit Disaster, Articles S