YORK COUNTY, S.C. — The mother of murdered York County Deputy Brent McCants spoke out after learning the man convicted of her son’s murder could have been released from prison.
Deputy Brent McCants was just 23 years old when he was shot and killed during what should have been a routine traffic stop in Rock Hill 30 years ago.
Two men were convicted for his murder. Mar-Reece Hughes is on death row. Dwayne Eric Forney was sentenced to life with the eligibility of parole.
On Wednesday, Forney got a chance to ask the South Carolina Board of Paroles and Pardons to make him a free man.
“It’s like a slap in your face," Myra McCants said.
She said she has not found justice even though the two men were convicted. She can't come to terms that her 23-year-old son was killed just weeks after being sworn in as a York County deputy.
“Being a mother, you love them, and you want to protect them, and there’s some things you can’t protect," McCants said, "And it just breaks my heart.”
Myra traveled to Columbia and asked the board to keep Forney in prison.
“It just breaks your heart because you have these children, you raise them up, you pray they be good men and women, and then you get a knock on the door," said McCants.
The South Carolina Board of Paroles and Pardons said it does consider the testimony from victims before making a decision.
“As a mother, you don’t want anybody to forget your child, especially if they joined the police force," McCants said.
However, on Wednesday afternoon, Forney's parole was denied. He'll be eligible for another hearing in two years.
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