Damien Lavar Ritter, a 28 year old man from Estill, South Carolina, was convicted yesterday afternoon by a Lexington County jury, after approximately forty-five minutes of deliberations, for the Murder of Samir Atkins (age 26) and Elzie Mack (age 41). The jury also returned convictions of Attempted Murder, Kidnapping, and Armed Robbery. The trial began on Monday, June 21, 2021, with jury selection. The Honorable Frank R. Addy, Jr., presided over the trial and sentenced Ritter to two Life sentences in the South Carolina Department of Corrections on the murder charges, thirty (30) years on the attempted murder and kidnapping charges, and ten (10) years on the armed robbery charge. Ritter will spend the rest of his natural life in prison and will not be eligible for parole.

Solicitor Rick Hubbard stated, “Both of these men were executed with single gunshot wounds to the back of the head. The case was extremely hard-fought that took a great amount of team work. I am grateful for the hard work on the part of the prosecution team and law enforcement in bringing closure and justice to the victims’ families.”

On July 5, 2018, Ritter traveled to West Columbia, South Carolina from his home in Estill, South Carolina. Security footage showed that Ritter left his home that morning driving his burgundy Chevy Tahoe wearing a red shirt, black pants, and Jordan 14 sneakers.  Once Ritter arrived in West Columbia, he contacted his cousin Samir Atkins from an unknown number. Moments later, Ritter arrived at Samir’s apartment on Glenn Street in West Columbia. The surviving victim testified during the trial that after Ritter and Samir entered the kitchen, he heard a single gunshot. The surviving victim was then ordered at gunpoint to the kitchen and placed face down on the ground next to Samir’s body.

Ritter and his unknown accomplices rummaged through the apartment. During this time, Samir’ friend, Elzie Mack, arrived at the apartment.  Elzie was also ordered to the ground in the kitchen near Samir’s lifeless body. The surviving victim testified at trial that he heard a man’s voice saying, “I’m getting down, I’m getting down” and then a second gunshot.  He saw Ritter with the gun in his hand, pointing the gun at him, and pulling the trigger.  The gun clicked but didn’t fire.  The surviving victim grabbed Ritter and was able to escape from the apartment. During the struggle, the surviving victim was shot as well.

During the investigation, the surviving victim was able to give law enforcement a detailed description of Ritter to include the clothes he was wearing and the vehicle he was driving. After identifying Ritter, law enforcement learned that a burgundy Chevy Tahoe was registered to Ritter. The surviving victim was presented with a photograph lineup and immediately identified Ritter as the shooter. The investigation revealed that Ritter eventually traveled back to Estill after committing these homicides prior to leaving the state. Ritter eventually turned himself in to law enforcement on July 13, 2018. Ritter’s vehicle has never been recovered and no other arrests have been made in this case.

During trial, the testimony of Dr. Janice Ross, a forensic pathologist, revealed that Samir died from a single gunshot wound to the back of the head. When first responders arrived on scene, Elzie was still breathing. Elzie was declared brain dead the following day and ultimately passed away from a gunshot wound to the back of his head. Elzie remained on life support until his organ donation procurement was completed. Dr. Ross conducted a medical review and testified that Elzie had also been shot in the head.

During sentencing, members of both victims’ families addressed the Court asking for the maximum sentence.  Samir left behind a daughter and Elzie left behind a wife and a son. 

Lead Investigator Matt Deas of the West Columbia Police Department, along with other West Columbia detectives worked diligently to solve this case. Assistant Solicitor Sutania A. Fuller and Deputy Solicitor Shawn Graham handled the prosecution of this case for the Eleventh Circuit Solicitor’s Office. Assistant Solicitor Fuller remarked that this “was one of the most horrific crime scenes in recent years. Although this sentence will not bring Samir and Elzie back, I am grateful that the families now have the closure and the justice that they deserve.”  

We are extremely grateful for the hard work of the West Columbia Police Department and greatly appreciate the dedication of Investigator Matt Deas. We also appreciate the assistance received during the prosecution of this case from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the United States Secret Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Cellular Analysis Survey Team (CAST), and the Hampton County Sheriff’s Office. 

Damien Ritter LCDC Booking Photo