Greenville “Castle Killing” – The Victim

MORE QUESTIONS RAISED IN HIGH-PROFILE UPSTATE SHOOTING …

It’s been a little over a week since this website became the first news outlet in South Carolina to identify the individual who pulled the trigger in the Greenville “Castle Killing.”

His name?  Allen Stephenson.

A wealthy young businessman, Stephenson is the founder of the Southern Tide apparel company – which specializes in outfitting fraternity and sorority types.  Deeply connected in Greenville, he lives on a sprawling $2 million, thirty-acre estate located on the south slope of Paris Mountain.

The property is known for its historic, 5,400-square foot “castle” – originally built in 1902 for a German baroness hoping to recapture the aura of similar structures built along the river Rhine.

In fact here’s a picture taken from the porch of the property …

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Now the estate is known for something else …

At around 9:30 a.m. EDT on Saturday March 19, a 32-year-old man by the name of Matthew Whitman was fatally shot on the property – by Stephenson.

For whatever reason (we’ll have more to say on this in future stories), Stephenson’s name was not released by authorities or mentioned in local media accounts following the incident.

Anyway, what happened that morning?  According to Stephenson’s attorney Sloan Ellis – who thus far has offered the only public narrative of the shooting – Whitman was trespassing and received repeated warnings from Stephenson to leave the property.  After refusing these warnings, Ellis claims Whitman became “hostile,” allegedly attacking Stephenson with a knife.

That left Stephenson with “no alternative but to defend himself with his shotgun.”

If true, that would make this an open and shut case of self-defense.

But is it true? 

We’re now ten days removed from the shooting and the Greenville county sheriff’s office is still investigating the incident.  Stephenson has yet to be cleared.  Lawyers have gotten involved on behalf of the Whitman family (including noted Upstate attorney David Price and the Columbia, S.C.-based firm of Rikard and Protopapas).  And of course there have been some very interesting leaks in the case.

With more promised …

One question that hasn’t really been asked (or answered)?  Who is Whitman?

Or rather, who was he?

Sources close to the case tell Whitman was a nature lover who enjoyed hiking in wooded areas of the Upstate and taking pictures of “the natural beauty surrounding Greenville.”

Recently unemployed, Whitman lived in a mobile home with his mother (who has Parkinson’s) and his grandmother.

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(Pic provided)

According to those who knew him, Whitman had “no criminal record and no history of the kind of behavior that has been asserted by (Stephenson’s) attorney.”

In other words, there seem to be legitimate questions as to whether Whitman in fact behaved in the manner described by Stephenson’s attorney.

There are also fresh questions about the forensic evidence in the case.  So far, police have released no information related to the details of the shooting – and the Greenville coroner has only confirmed that Whitman was shot in the torso.

According to our sources, though, Whitman was “shot at least three times” by Stephenson – who was armed with what’s commonly referred to as a “riot gun,” or a shotgun featuring a shorter barrel and larger magazine than a hunting shotgun.

One of those wounds was reportedly to Whitman’s face …

We’re not accusing Stephenson of having done anything wrong at this point – and obviously our support of the second amendment, the “Castle Doctrine” and “Stand Your Ground” laws has been made abundantly clear over the years.  Hell, we’ve even advocated for civil disobedience of unconstitutional “gun control” legislation.

Having said that, the version of events offered by Stephenson’s attorney is clearly not the only narrative likely to emerge from this incident – which puts the Upstate’s prosecutorial and political establishment in a very difficult position given their proximity to the man who pulled the trigger.

Stay tuned … much more to come on this case.

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