Talk of death penalty in case
Shaquan Duley stood before a judge in a crowded courtroom Wednesday.
Brian McConchie with our sister station, WACH-TV in Columbia, S.C., said emotions were running high in a South Carolina courtroom Wednesday as Shaquan Duley spent only three minutes before a judge. About 80 onlookers crammed into the room -- many of whom know the woman who confessed to killing her two young boys before somehow getting her car into a river.
"It was an explosive scene," McConchie said. "The family kept quiet, and her attorney did all the talking. He said Duley is sad, remorseful, and seeking guidance from her minister."
Orangeburg is a small, rural community about 40 miles south of Columbia. McConchie said it's fairly tight-knit.
"Everyone knows who everyone is there," he said. "They certainly didn't expect anything like this to come from the Duley household."
The Duley case is eerily reminiscent of the case of Susan Smith, the woman convicted of killing her two young boys in 1994 by driving her car into a lake with the boys strapped inside. And although there are differences between the two cases, McConchie said people can't help but bring it up.
"There are definitely a lot of people talking about it this week," he said. "The difference is that Susan Smith reported that her kids had been taken by someone else. Then they found her car submerged in a body of water."
Police said that Duley confessed after some questioning, he said.
Duley's next court appearance will be for her bond hearing, although no date has been set yet.
McConchie said her attorney is talking about obtaining a psychological evaluation for his client. He also said there's talk about the death penalty in this case, although no one has confirmed whether it'll actually be pursued.
Brian McConchie is the anchor of Good Day Columbia at WACH-TV in Columbia, S.C.
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