Man arrested as person of interest in death investigation charged with murder

Lexington County deputies have filed charges against a Leesville man in connection with a fatal shooting that occurred earlier this month.

Jesse Lou Gregory, 34, faces multiple charges, including murder, grand larceny, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and circumventing an electronic monitoring device, as indicated by the arrest warrants.

The charges stem from an investigation into the discovery of a body on November 12 at the intersection of Old Barnwell Road and White Knoll Way. Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon stated, “These charges are the result of our investigation into a body that was found Nov. 12 at the corner of Old Barnwell Road and White Knoll Way.”

Gregory was identified as a person of interest in the crime and was arrested on November 13, initially facing a charge of desecrating human remains. Investigators allege that Gregory discarded the body of a shooting victim.

According to Sheriff Koon, Gregory is accused of fatally shooting Nicholas Kenneth Hendrix with a shotgun. “Gregory told detectives he shot Hendrix while the two of them were driving around in the Leesville area,” Koon said. “Hendrix’s injuries and evidence collected from the car is inconsistent with Gregory’s account of how things unfolded.”

Additional charges against Gregory include grand larceny, stemming from the alleged theft of a car the day before the shooting. Gregory was apprehended in Aiken County, where he was found in possession of the stolen vehicle.

Sheriff Koon noted that prior to these events, Gregory failed to properly charge a GPS electronic ankle monitoring device, a requirement of his bond from a previous charge.

Jesse Lou Gregory is currently in custody at the Lexington County Detention Center.

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