PICKENS COUNTY — Timothy Keith Poole, age 41, remains in custody without bond following his arrest on Thursday, March 8. He is charged with Murder, Possession of a Weapon during a Violent Crime and Destruction/Removal of Human Remains.
The victim was identified as 40-year-old Brian Wayne Poole by Pickens County Coroner, Kandy Kelley on Friday morning.
The victim and the suspected shooter are first cousins, PCSO officials confirmed.
According to arrest warrants, Timothy Poole became involved in a verbal altercation with the victim on or about Feb. 10, 2018 at a residence on Can Do Lane in Pickens County.
“During the altercation the defendant retrieved a firearm and shot the victim,” the report reads. “The defendant then disposed of the victim’s body by burying the body in the yard.”
Hashe said detectives observed indicators of severe trauma on the victim’s body at the scene.
An autopsy revealed Brian Poole died from a single gunshot wound to the head, officials at the Coroner’s Office said.
“Early information regarding the victim indicates that he (the victim) had been temporarily residing with his cousin, Timothy Poole, when the shooting occurred in February,” said PCSO Chief Deputy Creed Hashe.
Hashe stated Poole’s arrest came after a witness came forward.
“The witness informed detectives that there was evidence at the residence that caused them to believe that the victim’s body may still be at the scene,”said Hashe. “A search of the property resulted in the discovery of additional evidence of the crime that ultimately led to the discovery of an adult male’s body buried in a shallow grave covered with a slab of concrete.”
The grave was located at the rear of the residence, officials stated.
Poole offered no resistance during the arrest, they said.
“This investigation is still on going as detectives will continue to investigate over the next few days in an attempt to piece together all of the facts and circumstances that may have contributed to this violent encounter,” said Hashe. “From this point moving forward, the Sheriff’s Office will be requesting documents, forensic testing of evidence and completing any remaining interviews that need to be done in order to prepare the case for prosecution.”
Sheriff’s Office officials state they feel confident at this stage of the investigation all parties have been identified that are connected to this case and — absent any new information — do not foresee any additional arrests being made.
“Our hearts and prayers remain with the family and friends,” said Pickens County Sheriff Rick Clark. “Violent encounters are never easy for any family especially when it involves the loss of life but incidents such as this unfortunately result in the loss of two family members as one may potentially face a life of incarceration.”
PCSO said no further details of the case would be released in order to preserve and protect the integrity of the investigation until at which time it has been heard by a judge and jury.
