How USC student Samantha Josephson died: what we know now.

COLUMBIA, South Carolina — Police in Columbia say that the man accused of killing a student at the University of South Carolina killed her and then took her body 70 miles away. The police say that he was back in the same area where he took her a day later.

These are some of the things that Columbia police said about the death of Samantha Josephson, who was 21 years old. Officers say that Nathaniel David Rowland, 24, killed her after she got into his car by accident in Columbia’s Five Points, a place where people go to have fun.

Columbia police chief Skip Holbrook offered the following timeline of events as investigators understand them now. 

1:30 a.m. Friday: Samantha Josephson was out with friends in Columbia’s Five Points early Friday morning. Holbrook said she got separated from them, however, after they were at the Bird Dog bar at 715 Harden Street. 

Investigators say Josephson then used the Uber app to hail one of the ride-share service’s drivers. 

2:09 a.m. Friday: Holbrook said Josephson saw a black Chevy Impala approach her at a corner in Five Points. She apparently believed that was her ride, and got into the vehicle, and Rowland drove them away from the scene, investigators say.

3:45 p.m. Friday: As that search was taking place, two turkey hunters 70 miles away in Clarendon County, SC, discovered Josephson’s body in a wooded area. The spot, just off Knowlson Road, is a long, dirt road with farms and woods.

The few people who live in the area say there’s little crime, the kind of place where people leave their doors unlocked. 

However, Holbrook said Rowland knew this area very well. The suspect had recently lived in the region. 

“It’s very difficult to get to unless you knew how to get there,” Holbrook said.

4 p.m. Friday: Investigators began processing the scene where Josephson was discovered. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) was brought in to use their forensic experts to comb the area for clues. 

They were later able to positively identify Josephson. In what Holbrook called “the best collaboration” he’s seen in his law enforcement career, Columbia police, Clarendon County deputies, and SLED began sharing information on the killings as they worked to zero in on the killer. 

5:07 p.m. Friday: As crews continued to look for clues and search for information, a Facebook account believed to be operated by Rowland was continuing to post status updates. None of the posts appear to reference anything related to the killing. 

8:30 p.m. Friday: Columbia police put out a missing person alert for Josephson. It included a photo of her, a surveillance image of her holding her cell phone, and the details that she’d last been seen in Five Points. 

3 a.m. Saturday: Holbrook said “an alert K-9 officer” saw a black Impala about two blocks from Five Points. The dog’s partner pulled over the suspicious vehicle to check it out. As the officer approached the vehicle, officers say Rowland got out and ran. Rowland was detain him.

5:13 a.m. Saturday: A little after 5 a.m., Seymour Josephson, Samantha Josephson’s father, said on Facebook “Samantha is no longer with us.” 

10:50 a.m. Saturday: University of South Carolina President Dr. Harris Pastides issued a statement confirming Josephson’s death. 

“Times like these leave me searching for words of wisdom and comfort,” he wrote in part. “However, I take solace that the Carolina Family is here to embrace those who are hurting.”

6:52 p.m. Saturday: Columbia police held a press conference, announcing the charges against Rowland, and revealing for the first time publicly what they think happened in the hours after the killing. 

2:00 p.m. Sunday: Nathaniel Rowland waived his right to appear in court. By law, the magistrate couldn’t set bond on the murder and kidnapping charges, so that will have to be dealt with in a circuit court hearing at a later date. 

The family of Josephson did attend the hearing, however, and the mother spoke out for the first time. Marci Josephson said she was disappointed the family didn’t get to see his “evil face” in court, and said they wanted to make sure people didn’t forget their daughter’s name. 

4:35 p.m. Monday – Clarendon County Coroner Bucky Mock released Josephson’s cause of death. He said she died of  ‘multiple sharp force injuries.’

July 27, 2021 Nathaniel Rowland was found guilty of killing Samantha Josephson;

Nathaniel Rowland sentenced;

isthatporks take; killing is a black-hole that no one can ever come back from. It is a void that remains for the remainder of life that no one could do anything about. Stories like that are sad because the people who are the loved ones of the victim end up being in a black-hole of their minds and they’re living. Correcting these problems goes back to the Atom which is Nathaniel but then to where? The system is set up to put these smothered pork chops in jail governed by a ham sandwich law that put them there. Twilight zone indeed. We hope the family of the victim can find some peace in this situation where there’s obvious pork, and we hope greater minds in the public prevail to benefit us all. In closing, we should all understand who is around us, when they’re around us. Do they mean good? or something else? reading body language, energy, and acting accordingly is essential to our lives. “Our Saviour Is Our Behavior”. Not saying she did anything wrong but we just have to be at our best. A lot of pork out in the World and we have to learn to avoid the many black-holes that we will encounter throughout a lifetime.

What’s your take on the obvious pork?

Like, Share, Comment, Tweet, “It’s Your World, You Decide!”