YORK COUNTY, S.C. — A man charged with killing two people at a home in York County in 2019 pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity Thursday morning.
Jimar Frazier Neely was charged with murder in connection with the shooting deaths of Robin Thompson and Timothy Barber at a home on Rivercrest Road on June 7, 2019. Neely is also accused of firing shots at deputies who tried to pull him over later that day following a reported burglary at a home on Red River Road.
Neely faced multiple charges, including murder and attempted murder, in connection with the incident.
On Thursday, Neely pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. His attorneys requested a bench trial, meaning the judge acted as the jury.
Neely’s case is now in the hands of the Department of Mental Health. During the trial, the judge, the prosecutor, and the victim’s family all said South Carolina needs more resources to deal with mental health.
“The mental health system in South Carolina over the 30 years that I’ve been in prosecution has really suffered some serious setbacks in terms of funding," Kevin Brackett, York County's 16th Circuit prosecutor, said.
According to court testimony, Thompson and Barber were brothers-in-law who were picking up custom cabinets from a man in Rock Hill when the man’s nephew, Neely, shot and killed them in a random attack.
“They were good guys, they really were," Renea Barber, who lost her brother and husband in one day, said. "They loved people, they were all about helping their families.”
Dr. Stephanie M. Le with the South Carolina Department of Mental Health testified on Thursday that Neely’s struggles with mental health caused him to hear voices telling him to shoot the two men. Le said Neely wasn’t taking his medication when it happened.
She also said Neely’s mother tried to get him help for years, but a lack of resources and beds in mental health facilities caused him to slip through the cracks.
“It’s very likely that there was not the resources available to give him the treatment," Le said.
Brackett said mental health facilities need more beds and there needs to be a law ensuring people who can be dangerous comply with taking their medication. Barber hopes more will be done to deal with mental illness.
“They are truly missed," Barber said, speaking of her brother and husband. "There’s not a day that goes by that we don’t think about them. We just miss them.”
Contact Indira Eskieva at ieskieva@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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