CONWAY, S.C. (Court TV) — A former deputy coroner is standing trial on charges he killed a man with the help of his mistress, after pleading guilty to one charge moments before opening statements were set to begin.
Christopher Dontell is charged with conspiracy and murder in the death of Gregory Rice, who was shot to death in 2020. At the time of his death, Rice was the father to four children with Meagan Jackson, with whom Dontell was allegedly having an affair. Jackson is facing the same charges and will be tried separately.
Dontell pleaded guilty on Dec. 3, moments before his trial was set to begin, to the single charge of accessory after the fact. He will formally enter the plea on Dec. 4 before opening statements begin in his trial.
Christopher Dontell (L) and Meagan Jackson are charged with the murder of Gregory Rice (C). (Horry County Sheriff’s Dept/Horry County Police Dept.)
Jackson reported Rice missing on Oct. 5, 2020, three days after he was last seen. On Nov. 8, Rice’s body was found on the Marion County side of the Little Pee Dee River. According to court documents, “The victim had been wrapped in a tarp that was secured by zip ties, and was weighted down by at least one cinder block secured with a ratchet strap.” At autopsy, the coroner determined Rice had been shot five times.
Police were able to trace the items with Rice’s body to a Lowe’s home improvement store and then found video surveillance allegedly showing Dontell purchasing them on Oct. 3. Cell phone records, license plate readers and witness interviews led police to arrest both Dontell and Jackson.
At the time of her arrest, Jackson worked as a body transporter, taking bodies from the scene of death to funeral homes or the coroner’s office. Dontell worked as a deputy coroner for Horry County. When Jackson was charged with murder, detectives learned that she was pregnant with Dontell’s child. Dontell was married to a school teacher with whom he shares two children.
Both Jackson and Dontell were released on bond pending trial, but both were returned to jail after violating the terms of their release by having contact with one another.
In a motion asking for bond to be reinstated, Dontell’s attorney argued that “the evidence points to a very real possibility that Dontell was at most an accessory after the fact.”
