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One of the two accused killers tied to the savage August 2021 slaying of a Fairfield County, South Carolina “Good Samaritan” pleaded guilty on Monday morning to manslaughter and carjacking charges.
Then, in a rare display of judicial fortitude, she got the book thrown at her during sentencing …
Amber Nicole Harris, 32, of Chester, S.C. was one of two people originally charged with murder in connection with the August 3, 2021 killing of 63-year-old Linda Robinson. Robinson’s body was found in a remote, rural region just off of Highway 72 northeast of Chester, S.C. at approximately 11:45 a.m. EDT that morning. Her light blue 2009 Honda Odyssey minivan was found abandoned later that day near where her body was dumped.
Harris’ co-conspirator, 34-year-old George “Si” Linward Faile of Lancaster, S.C., is awaiting trial on multiple charges related to this brutal homicide – which occurred while he and Harris were high on methamphetamines.
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Harris’ record was replete with drug and larceny charges. Faile’s record included a guilty plea for domestic violence as well as drug and larceny charges. Both were out of jail on bond at the time of the murder.
Harris was known to local law enforcement as a chronic abuser of methamphetamines.
According to investigators with the Chester County sheriff’s office, Robinson was on her way to the Walmart in Chester to get a prescription filled for her husband – Vernon Robinson. On the way to the store, she stopped to help Harris and Faile – who were on the side of the road next to a broken down vehicle.
“My wife was the best person in the world,” Vernon Robinson said during a March 2023 court hearing. “Nobody should ever have put a hand on her.”
Robinson reportedly made it a habit to help people who were in need of assistance – and offered the two a ride in her minivan. After completing her visit to the store, Robinson drove Faile and Harris approximately five miles northeast of the Walmart where she was beaten to death – including a blow to the face with a two-by-four – and then dumped on the side of the road.
To his credit, S.C. circuit court judge Brian M. Gibbons sentenced Harris to the maximum thirty years on each charge she pleaded guilty to – meaning she received a sixty-year sentence. Given the violent nature of the charges, Harris is required to serve at least 85 percent of that sentence – or fifty-one (51) years.
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The case against Harris was handled by senior assistant deputy attorney general Heather Savitz Weiss with support from assistant deputy attorney general Kinli Abee and paralegals Trysha Krysnosky and Connor Roark. It was investigated by the Chester County sheriff’s office and the Chester, S.C. police department with assistance from the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED).
“(This case) has become personal to me,” Chester County sheriff Max Dorsey told me after the sentencing. “I’ve gotten to know the husband and the family – they are all good people.”
“She did what we all should do,” Dorsey said, referring to Robinson. “We should all be that good Samaritan (that she was). Unfortunately, we live in a world where evil lurks in places you least expect it – and where it is more in our face than it has ever been.”
Harris pleaded guilty just moments before her trial was set to begin in Chester County. She will be transferred to the custody of the S.C. Department of Corrections (SCDC) this week. As for Faile, he remains incarcerated at the Chester County detention center.
This news outlet frequently assails judges who dole out lenient bonds and impose lax sentences on violent offenders. However, we also give credit where it is due when the system works as it should. Just last week, in fact, we reported on a guilty verdict/ plea deal combination out of Lexington County in which the punishments meted out were consistent with the horrific nature of the crime.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and seven (soon to be eight) children.
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