Brutal act of violence carried out by Lexington County man, James Richard Elledge, Jr., resulted in the shooting death of Madison Leslie Leavitt. Elledge pled guilty today to Voluntary Manslaughter and was sentenced to 25 years in the South Carolina Department of Corrections. This crime is a "no parole" offense. We are grateful that Elledge took responsibility for this senseless killing.

Deputy Solicitor Shawn Graham and Assistant Solicitor Bradley Pogue handled the prosecution of this case.

Leavitt was only 24 years old when she was killed leaving behind a daughter. This shooting occurred back in November of 2015 in the Gaston area of Lexington County. Elledge fired a 9mm handgun eleven times at the vehicle where Leavitt was a passenger. He then initiated a high speed pursuit and ultimately fired an AK-47 assault rifle multiple times at the vehicle causing Leavitt's death.

Detective Sandy Black and Sgt. Michael Gooding of the Lexington County Sheriff's Department Major Crimes Unit investigated this case. Detective Black recently recovered the AK-47 buried under an above-ground swimming pool at a Gaston residence following a tip.

We hope today's guilty plea helps to bring healing and closure to Leavitt's family.