Attorney General Alan Wilson announces murderer sentenced to life without parole

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that Jason Tyrell Ford pleaded guilty today to murder in Clarendon County for killing 72-year-old Mae Edith Burgess in her home on December 13, 2022. His office’s Violent Crime Case Reduction Unit, or VCCRU, handled the case and secured the conviction. Attorney General Wilson created VCCRU to reduce case backlogs across the state, mostly in rural counties.

“This case is especially heartbreaking because Ford stole a car in Sumter County, then drove to Ms. Burgess’s home and killed her as she sat down for dinner, just so he could steal her car. He then continued his crime spree when he tried to kill another man in Sumter County, but thankfully that man survived,” Attorney General Wilson said.

Judge Kirk Griffin sentenced Ford to life without the possibility of parole.

Ford also pleaded guilty to Burglary and was sentenced to 30 years. He also pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny and was sentenced to the maximum of 10 years, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

His charges of Attempted Murder and Grand Larceny of a Vehicle in Sumter County are still pending.

This case was scheduled to go to trial on April 13, and our office was prepared for trial, but he pleaded guilty today.

Assistant Attorney General Angela McCall-Tanner prosecuted the case for the state. The Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office, Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division investigated the case.