Oconee Jury Acquits Michael Blackwell, Jr.

A jury in Oconee County delivered a not guilty verdict last night in the case of State of South Carolina v. Michael Blackwell Jr. The unanimous decision came after nearly four hours of deliberation, which were moved to a different location due to a water service outage at the courthouse.

The three-day trial centered on the death of Blackwell’s seven-and-a-half-week-old son, Theo Raynor, in December 2022. The jury heard testimony from witnesses offering different perspectives on the infant’s death. Following the verdict, strong emotions were displayed by both the Blackwell family and the mother of the child, Sheila Raynor. Defense attorney John Abdalla expressed his and his client’s relief…

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