Johnson sentenced in Patel Murder Case

An Anderson County jury convicted Jeremiah Johnson of multiple charges for an incident that took place in July of 2012. The Honorable Scott Sprouse sentenced Johnson to 30-years for murder and 10-years for armed robbery to be served consecutively, with 20-years for kidnapping and 5-years for possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, which are to be served concurrently. C.J. Patel was last seen around 6pm on July 1, 2012, leaving the Exxon station a short distance from I-85 on Clemson Boulevard. He and his family managed the station. He told one of the workers he would be back but he never returned. Patel’s car was found abandoned in Fair Play on July 3. His body was found July 11 in a wooded area off U.S. 29 a few miles from the Georgia state line. An investigation by the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office resulted in the arrest of Jeremiah Johnson and three others. Johnson gave a full account of the events in a statement to law enforcement.