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Thread: Brandon Michael Council - Federal Death Row

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    Brandon Michael Council - Federal Death Row



    Kathryn Skeen, CresCom Bank Branch Manager, and Donna Major, Head Teller, killed by bank robber 8/21/17 in Conway, SC.



    Brandon Michael Council


    Footage from bank robbery


    Police release images of suspect in Conway bank robbery, murder of 2 employees


    Robbery happened on the 1200 block of 16th Avenue in Conway


    By WYFF 4 News

    CONWAY, S.C. (WMBF) — Police have identified a person of interest in the bank robbery at CresCom Bank Monday that left two employees dead.

    Brandon Michael Council, 32, of Wilson, North Carolina is wanted by Conway Police for questioning, and is considered to be armed and dangerous, according to a Conway Police news release.

    He may have changed his hairstyle, and Conway Police have released pictures of him with both long and short hair.

    Council is wanted for a separate bank robbery in Wilson on August 10, according to police.

    A BB&T branch was robbed, but police said no one was injured in that robbery.

    Records show Council was released from prison on July 31, 2017 after serving a 7.5 year sentence for larceny over $1,000, and being a habitual felon, meaning he has been convicted of three or more felony charges.

    "We have reason to believe he may have been in the Conway area and are following up leads at this time," Conway Police said in the news release.

    The suspect in the murders was described by police as a black male with long braided hair.

    Several employees who work around the area of the CresCom bank said they recognized the suspect.

    A Sherwin Williams employee said they saw the suspect standing between a tree and a telephone pole near the bank for several hours before the robbery.

    The employee said he only reason he noticed the suspect was because he was wearing a blue collared shirt, which is the Sherwin Williams uniform, and thought the suspect was an employee. The employee said he believed he had seen the suspect walking around there in the past few days.

    Several employees at a nearby Hardee's restaurant also said they recognized the suspect.

    They said he ate there the past couple days, and they knew he was staying at the hotel across the street. They said the FBI was in Monday to check their outside surveillance cameras, but they don't reach across the street.

    The manager said the FBI was going to come back either later Tuesday or Wednesday to look at the video from inside the restaurant.

    Police also released two images of a white four-door Chrysler 200 with SC tags IZM457, tinted windows and a "River Life" sticker on the glass. This is the vehicle of one of the victims, which was stolen, according to Conway Police.

    Anyone with information on the murders or the location of Council is asked to contact law enforcement immediately and do not approach him. Those with information can also contact Crime Stoppers of the Low Country at 1-888-CRIME-SC (1-888-274-6372).

    http://www.wyff4.com/article/two-emp...e-say/12045114
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Senior Member CnCP Legend CharlesMartel's Avatar
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    ‘Person of interest’ in SC double murder also wanted by police on bank robbery charges

    A man who police say is a “person of interest” in the deaths of two employees during a bank robbery in Conway Monday, is also wanted in North Carolina on bank robbery charges, according to authorities.

    A suspect entered the bank branch at U.S. 501 and 16th Avenue about 1:20 p.m. Monday just as the eclipse was beginning, police said.

    “During the bank robbery, tragically, two employees were killed,” Lt. Selena Small, spokeswoman with Conway police said outside the bank Monday. “We do want to extend our prayers to the families who have been affected by this. This is definitely a tragedy that occurred today here at the bank.”

    http://www.thestate.com/news/state/a...#storylink=cpy

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    Conway bank robbery, murder suspect arrested in North Carolina

    By Emily Weaver
    Myrtle Beach Sun News

    The suspect in the deadly Conway bank robbery was arrested by police in Greenville, N.C., Wednesday afternoon, officials say.

    In a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Solicitor Jimmy Richardson said North Carolina police arrested Brandon Michael Council and he now faces numerous charges, including two counts of murder. Police allege Council killed two employees during a robbery Monday at the CresCom Bank in Conway.

    Greenville police Chief Mark Holtzman told NBC affiliate WITN that his department received a 911 call from someone who reported seeing Council near a Red Lobster in Greenville, North Carolina.

    WITN reported that police initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle near a Baymont Inn and Suites on Memorial Drive.

    The Greenville Daily Reflector reported that Council was driving a BMW with a North Carolina license plate.

    Council attempted to run when the car was pulled over, but was quickly apprehended, according to ABC affiliate WCTI 12.

    Two employees of CresCom Bank, Kathryn “Katie” Davis Skeen, 36, and Donna Major, 59, were killed in the robbery at the branch on the corner of U.S. Highway 501 and 16th Avenue on Monday. Police were seeking Council, 32, of Wilson, North Carolina, who was seen driving a white 2013 Chrysler 200, stolen from one of the victims, after the robbery.

    The car has since been located, according to Lt. Selena Small of the Conway Police Department.

    “We will never be the same after what has happened in this town,” said Conway Mayor Barbara Blain-Bellamy Wednesday afternoon.

    “Not only have both the Skeen and Major families been shaken to the core over the last two days, so has the entire city of Conway,” Bellamy said. “We are shaken but not to our foundation because we are a people of faith and we know that God will get us through this.”

    Council is currently wanted for felony common law robbery after a bank robbery at the BB&T branch at 1604 S. Tarboro St. in Wilson on Aug. 10.

    No one was injured in that robbery, according to WRAL.

    Long criminal history


    Thirty-two-year-old Council of Wilson, North Carolina, is no stranger to the criminal justice system in his home state with convictions dating back to 2004.

    Council served more than 5 years in North Carolina correctional facilities after he was convicted of being an habitual felon and larceny on March 16, 2011. His parole ended on the charges on July 31 — 10 days before the reported
    robbery in Wilson, according to online records through the N.C. Department of Public Safety.

    Seven months before his 2010 arrest in that case, Council was back in prison for breaking his probation on a 2008 felony breaking and entering conviction with another larceny in 2009.

    Council was also found guilty of receiving stolen goods and stealing a car in 2005 and of receiving a stolen car in 2004.

    http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/new...168877222.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    FBI agent says bank robbery suspect confessed he would kill

    By Jeffrey Collins
    Associated Press

    COLUMBIA, S.C. – A man who robbed a South Carolina bank knew he was going to kill someone that day because he was desperate for money, and he shot one employee as she tried to hide under a desk, an FBI agent said.

    Brandon Council faces state and federal charges after he was arrested Wednesday in Greenville, North Carolina.

    Council spent six nights at a motel in Conway just across the street from the Cres Com Bank branch before walking to the bank Monday, FBI agent Jeffrey Long said in a sworn statement filed in federal court Thursday.

    Surveillance footage from the bank showed Council briefly talking to the teller before shooting her several times, then finding a second employee hiding under a desk and firing multiple shots at her, Long said.

    "Council told agents he was desperate, he needed money and that he knew he was going to shoot someone," Long wrote.

    Kathryn Davis Skeen, 36, and Donna Major, 59, were both killed. South Carolina prosecutors plan to charge Council with murder, armed robbery, being a felon in possession of a pistol and other counts, while federal prosecutors have charged him with armed bank robbery resulting in death and using a firearm in a crime of violence.

    After killing the employees, Council took the keys from both their vehicles and their banks cards. He stole one vehicle, drove it to the motel, quickly loaded his luggage and left, Long said.

    Council, 32, stole more than $15,000 in the Conway robbery.

    Council was paroled earlier this month on charges of larceny greater than $1,000 and being a habitual felon, and eleven days after he was released, he robbed a bank in Wilson, North Carolina.

    Council was arrested Wednesday in Greenville after a 911 caller saw him at a restaurant. He agreed to return to South Carolina during a Thursday afternoon hearing in federal court in North Carolina. Court records showed he did not have a lawyer.

    After his arrest, Council told the agents that he deserved to die and he watched the movie "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" before going to the bank.

    http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/08/24...ould-kill.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    'Pure evil' made Conway shooting one of deadliest American bank robberies in recent years

    By Andrew Knapp
    Post and Courier

    Last year, employees at banks and credit unions nationwide survived 4,250 robberies.

    In half of them, a robber threatened to use a weapon. In only one, a gunman followed through, with deadly results.

    So when Brandon Michael Council walked into a CresCom Bank on Monday and opened fire, it already was a rare occurrence. More unusual was the death toll that resulted: Two workers slain, doubling the total from 2016 bank robberies across the country.

    It was one of the deadliest American bank heists in recent years.

    “It’s rare that someone is even shot,” said Chris Quick, a retired FBI agent in Charleston who once led the local Violent Crime Task Force and investigated bank robberies. “The robber goes in and gets out with the money, and nobody loses a life."

    He added, "Unfortunately for these two tellers, it didn’t turn out that way.”

    It was likely an unfortunate happenstance that Council chose the small college town of Conway to wreak such havoc and plunge a community into despair, officials said.

    Jean Timbes, a City Council member, said residents have approached her, unable to sleep.

    “This is something that would be so unexpected anywhere; it just came out of the blue for us,” she said. “It’s hard to explain something that has no explanation.”

    Council, 32, of Wilson, N.C., faces federal charges of armed bank robbery resulting in death and using a firearm in a violent crime. The counts could make him eligible for the death penalty, though prosecutors haven’t said whether they would pursue the punishment.

    FBI agents said he admitted to walking into the bank, bent on hurting someone, when he fatally shot teller Donna Major, 59, and 16th Avenue branch manager Katie Skeen, 36. Both women had children; Major was a grandmother.

    Mack Jones, a friend and co-worker of Skeen’s for two years at another bank, said the deaths have been devastating to all who knew the women.

    Skeen helped desperate people like Council find the resources they needed, Jones said. She gave Jones food when he had nothing to eat during his own hard times, he said.

    “He murdered the very person who could have changed his life,” Jones said. “And he cut off that blessing for so many other people.

    “But that’s what the devil will do.”

    'Unfortunate outlook'


    Council had been in and out of North Carolina prisons for most of his adult life.

    His past offenses were property crimes that did not indicate such violent tendencies. He served less than a year behind bars for stealing a car in 2004, North Carolina records showed. He later spent another months-long stint behind bars for burglary.

    His most recent and longest stay in prison ended last year after he served seven years for larceny and being a habitual felon.

    Council’s release on parole would have restricted his movements. As a felon, he couldn't have a gun. Authorities would have had zero tolerance for new crimes.

    But 11 days after those conditions expired, the FBI said he robbed a BB&T Bank location in downtown Wilson, a college town of 50,000 and his hometown an hour east of Raleigh.

    Federal agents described in an affidavit what led to the deadly confrontation in Conway.

    Investigators soon developed him as a “primary suspect” in the Aug. 11 hold-up, but he remained on the lam.

    He re-emerged four days later when he checked into the Conway Express Inn on Pine Street. There, he climbed out of a white Chrysler minivan, and another man and a woman helped carry his luggage into Room 110.

    The man and the woman left with the van. Council, whose distinctive dreadlock hairstyle showed up in hotel surveillance footage, stayed.

    Council showed signs that he feared authorities could be on his trail. The woman who helped Council at the hotel would later tell the FBI that he had stomped on his cellphone and tossed away the device’s subscriber ID card into a nearby parking lot.

    For six days, he holed up at the hotel. The CresCom bank was across the street.

    “It’s just unbelievable that this man had such an unfortunate outlook in life that he stayed in that hotel, observing,” Timbes said. “It’s scary that he scoped it out and planned to kill.”

    'A ridiculous crime'

    Dark thoughts stirred in Council’s mind, he would later tell the FBI. He had watched “Get Rich or Die Tryin’,” a film based loosely on rapper 50 Cent’s life. It chronicled crimes that put its main character in others’ gunsights.

    “He was desperate,” FBI Agent Jeffrey Long said in the affidavit. “He needed money. … He knew he was going to shoot someone.”

    Council’s indictment, expected in the coming weeks, might shed further light on his motivation that day, Supervisory Agent Donald Wood of the FBI's Columbia office said.

    About 1:10 p.m. Monday, seven minutes before a partial solar eclipse was set to begin, Council stepped into the bank. Many employees were out to lunch.

    “It’s fortunate that more were not there,” Timbes said.

    Two minutes later, a video camera showed him holding a shotgun in his right hand and pointing it over the bank counter.

    His face was clearly visible. He wore no disguise.

    He talked briefly with the teller.

    Tellers like Major are trained to give robbers what they want, said Dana Ridenour, a Murrells Inlet resident and crime novelist who spent two decades in the FBI investigating violence and drugs. The money is insured, so there’s no reason to resist, she said. And banks often employ electronic trackers or exploding dye packs to help authorities find suspects later.

    “The employees just want everybody to go home at the end of the day,” Ridenour said. “This was a ridiculous crime. These tellers were not giving the robber any problems.”

    Council poked his shotgun past the teller's computer screen and shot her several times, then leaped over the counter, the FBI said.

    The other woman hid under a desk, the FBI said, but Council found her and shot her a few times, too.

    He stole the women's credit cards, car keys and $15,294 from the bank, and he left in Skeen’s car.

    Police officers in Greenville, N.C., caught him two days later after someone saw him and dialed 911.

    'Pure evil'

    To Quick, the retired FBI agent who runs the private investigations firm Quick Group, people who perpetrate violence during a bank robbery are often mentally disturbed or addicted to drugs. Quick remembers only one robbery during his career in which a worker was slain.

    In 12,303 robberies of federally insured financial institutions from 2014 through 2016, a gun went off in 121 cases, FBI statistics showed. Ninety-two employees were hurt. Only three were killed.

    Bank robberies often prove deadlier for the criminals. In the same three-year stretch, 25 robbers were killed, usually by responding law officers.

    “For the most part, bank robbers aren’t that sophisticated,” Quick said. “It’s a target of opportunity. They just need the money. … Basically, (Council) seemed like one of those guys who just didn’t care."

    Skeen’s death ripped a mother from two young boys. Major’s loss took a mother of three and a grandmother of three. Two churches lost dedicated members.

    "That man was cold and calculated,” said Jones, the friend of Skeen’s. “He killed all that out of just greed and pure evil.”

    http://www.postandcourier.com/news/p...6b4772e6e.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    N.C. man facing double murder charges in Conway bank robbery back in S.C.

    By Emily Weaver
    Myrtle Beach Sun News

    A North Carolina man accused of shooting two bank employees to death in a Conway heist last month has been extradited back to South Carolina.

    Thirty-two-year-old Brandon Michael Council of Wilson, N.C., was booked into the Florence County Detention Center at 3:56 p.m. Tuesday by the U.S. Marshal’s Service, according to online jail records.

    Authorities say Council shot and killed Kathryn “Katie” Davis Skeen, 36, of Green Sea and Donna Major, 59, of Conway during the robbery at the CresCom Bank in Conway Aug. 21, before fleeing the scene in one of the victim’s vehicles.

    Police were seeking Council who was seen driving a white 2013 Chrysler 200, stolen from one of the victims, after the robbery.

    Council was arrested after a brief foot chase with police in Greenville, N.C., on Aug. 23.

    The car has since been located, according to Lt. Selena Small of the Conway Police Department.

    In Horry County, Council faces two counts of murder, one count of entering a bank with an intent to steal, grand larceny, armed robbery, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and being a felon in possession of a pistol.

    Lance Crick, of the South Carolina U.S. Attorney’s Office, said in a news release that Council is also facing federal charges of armed bank robbery with a deadly weapon resulting in death and using a firearm in to commit a violent crime.

    Council is set to be arraigned at 2:30 p.m. Thursday in U.S. District Court in Florence by federal authorities, 15th Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson said.

    http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/new...172927311.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Deadly Conway bank robbery suspect faces life or death in two arenas

    By Emily Weaver
    Myrtle Beach Sun News

    The man accused of gunning down two Conway bank employees in a deadly robbery last month is facing sentences of life in prison or death on both federal and state charges.

    Thirty-two-year-old Brandon Michael Council, of Wilson, N.C., was indicted Wednesday on federal charges of armed robbery resulting in death, using a firearm in a violent crime that resulted in murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Two of the counts carry the possible weight of capital punishment, but U.S. prosecutors have not decided whether they will seek it.

    Council also faces seven state counts - two of which could be punishable by death - after police say he shot and killed Kathryn “Katie” Davis Skeen and Donna Major while allegedly robbing the 16th Avenue CresCom Bank during the first hour of the solar eclipse on Aug. 21.

    Fifteenth Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson says his office needs to review all of the elements in the case before deciding whether or not they will seek a death sentence.

    Officers with the Conway Police Department served Council with warrants for the state charges while he remained in custody of the Florence County Detention Center on Wednesday.

    In Horry County, he faces two counts of murder for the deaths of Major and Skeen and one count each of armed robbery, entering a bank with intent to steal, possessing a weapon during a violent crime, unlawfully possessing a pistol and grand larceny.

    Police say Council entered the bank just after 1:10 p.m. and had a brief conversation with Major before pulling a gun on her and shooting her multiple times.

    Prosecutors say Council then ran into a nearby office where he shot bank manager Kathryn Skeen as she sheltered under her desk.

    Council is accused of stealing more than $15,000 in cash from the bank before fleeing in one of the victim’s cars.

    He was arrested after a brief foot chase with police in Greenville, N.C., on Aug. 23.

    Council also faces charges in North Carolina after police say he robbed a BB&T bank in his hometown on Aug. 10. No injuries were reported in that robbery.

    http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/new...174628271.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Senior Member CnCP Legend CharlesMartel's Avatar
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    Suspect in Conway bank murders enters not guilty plea in federal court

    From staff reports
    myhorrynews.com

    Brandon Council, the man accused of killing two CresCom Bank employees during a robbery in August, entered a not guilty plea on federal charges at a Florence federal court Tuesday afternoon.

    On Sept. 20, a federal grand jury in Columbia returned a multiple-count indictment against Council in connection with the robbery, according to U.S. Attorney Beth Drake.

    Council, 32, of Wilson, N.C., was charged with armed bank robbery resulting in death, use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in death of a person in such a manner to constitute murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm, and could receive life without the possibility of parole or death on the first two charges.

    At a brief arraignment on the federal indictment held on Tuesday, Council, alongside his attorneys, told Magistrate Thomas E. Rogers he understood his charges and the possible subsequent penalties.

    He also waived his right to a bond hearing.

    At an arraignment last month, Council waived his right to both preliminary and detention hearings.

    Council could face the death penalty, but federal prosecutors said they haven’t decided on a possible punishment yet.

    Rogers asked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Richardson at Council's arraignment last month if the government planned to seek capital punishment in Council’s case.

    “We have not made that decision,” Richardson said.

    Since capital punishment is a possibility, Rogers said he appointed two public defenders, Bill Nettles and Michael Meetze, to represent Council because a defendant is entitled to have two lawyers in death penalty cases.

    Council is accused of gunning down Donna Major of Conway and Katie Skeen of Green Sea during a robbery of the CresCom Bank located at 1230 16th Avenue in Conway on Aug. 21 . He was apprehended in Greenville, North Carolina, after a two-day manhunt.

    When interviewed by investigators, Council confessed to the robbery and the murders, according to federal court records.

    In addition to the federal charges, Council faces state charges of two counts of murder, armed robbery, entering a bank with intent to steal, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, unlawful possession of a pistol by an unlawful person and grand larceny after being served warrants by the Conway Police Department, police said.

    Like the federal prosecutors, Fifteenth Judicial Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson said he hasn’t decided about whether to pursue capital punishment for Council at the state level.

    Council remains in federal custody at the Florence County Detention Center after being booked by the U.S. Marshals Task Force on Sept. 12, online jail records show.

    https://www.myhorrynews.com/news/cri...208fcb64b.html
    Last edited by Helen; 10-04-2017 at 06:23 AM. Reason: fixed source at top, deleted date & time

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    Bank staff returning almost two months after two employees killed in robbery

    By Brad Dickerson
    WMBF

    CONWAY, SC - Nearly two months after a bank robbery took the lives of two employees, staff is returning to the CresCom Bank in downtown Conway.

    A spokesman said employees are back at the branch, but they're still working to get settled back in. An announcement on the bank's official reopening is set to be released Monday.

    Katie Skeen and Donna Major were killed on Aug. 21 when police say 32-year-old Brandon Council shot them during a bank robbery.

    Along with working at CresCom, Skeen and Major were both wives and mothers. There is now a permanent rock garden memorial outside the bank in their honor.

    On Wednesday, Council's trial was delayed until at least December. Federal court schedules stated jury selection was originally set to begin Oct. 26.

    The allegations in the case make Council eligible to face the death penalty, although prosecutors have not yet announced if they will seek it.

    http://www.wmbfnews.com/story/366401...led-in-robbery

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    MAN CHARGED FOR CONWAY BANK MURDERS MAKES OFFER TO FEDS

    By WWAY News

    FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) – The man charged for murdering two women during a robbery at the CresCom Bank appeared in federal court in Florence Monday.

    Brandon Michael Council faces both state and federal charges for the deadly bank robbery in August. On September 22, a federal grand jury in Columbia returned an indictment for Council for armed bank robbery resulting in death, use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in death of a person in such a manner to constitute murder and felon in possession of a firearm. According to the US attorney general, Council could receive life without the possibility of parole or death for the first two federal charges.

    In October, the accused murderer pleaded not guilty to the federal charges. Despite the not guilty plea entered in court this fall, documents filed Monday note that an offer was submitted that entails Council pleading guilty to the charges in exchange for multiple life sentences.

    Monday, Council was scheduled for a pre-trial status conference in Florence where officials planned to discuss the timeline for the federal trial, including a date when the government must decide whether or not they will be seeking the death penalty. The government proposed a deadline of April 30, 2018, for the decision to seek the death penalty.

    Judge R Bryan Harwell ruled against establishing a court- ordered deadline in the conference on Monday.

    Council’s defense argued that they have not had enough time to work on the accused murderer’s defense. In the new court order filed Monday, the defense said “the Government appears to be rushing this matter through the authorization process at almost unprecedented speed.”

    The decision made in court Monday leaves the matter to up to the Department of Justice and notes that a court- imposed timeline for the case will only be created if a notice is filed by the US Department of Justice.

    https://www.wwaytv3.com/2017/12/05/m...offer-to-feds/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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