05/05/2022 - Arrests made in Missing Person Homicide from April 2022

On April 11, 2022, Franklin Shaves Hines, Jr., 29 years old, was reported as a missing person to the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office.  He was last seen leaving a night club in Spartanburg County in the early morning hours of April 10^th with several individuals.  These subjects were identified by investigators and considered persons of interest in Hines’ disappearance.  On April 13, 2022, Hines’ body was discovered in a wooded area off Old Highway 146 in Enoree, SC.  His death was determined to be a homicide by the Spartanburg County Coroner’s Office.  Surveillance videos, witness and suspect interviews, and other investigative techniques provided investigators with sufficient evidence to charge the following individuals with the murder of Franklin Hines:

Jiquan Nasir Stover, 22 years old, 105 Southside Circle, Lancaster, SC, 29720

Ant’tavis Deuantae Foster, 23 years old, 1749 Great Falls Rd., Lancaster, SC, 29720

Lajohn Devarus Gaither, 36 years old, of 418 E. Arch St. Lancaster, SC, 29720

All three of these suspects are now in custody, and all of them are charged with Murder and Possession of A Weapon During the Commission of a Violent Crime. Foster was arrested in Lancaster County on April 19^th, and Gaither was arrested in that county on April 20^th. Stover was arrested in Florida on April 19^th and was just extradited back here on May 3^rd. All three suspects have appeared before magistrate judges who have denied their bonds. A fourth individual has also been charged with Accessory After the Fact of a Felony.  This individual is Jiquan Stover’s father, James Jamar Smith, 40 years old, of 452 N. Rutherford Rd., Greer, SC, 29651.  Mr. Smith has not yet been apprehended. A motive for this incident has yet to be determined.

This agency would like to thank the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office, the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED), and the United States Marshal’s Service for their invaluable assistance with this investigation.