On April 6, 2023, Randy Dean Grainer was convicted and sentenced in Horry County for the August 18, 2018 murders of Robert Marion Ford Jr., 59, and his son, Robbie Stetson Ford, 25, in Conway, South Carolina. They had been shot to death in their yard. They car was stolen, and then set on fire. The car windows were closed, and so the car was not consumed completely by the fire.
Investigators located three cigarette butts outside of the car by the driver’s seat, and a partially-burned cap inside the vehicle, on the floor of the driver’s seat area. A DNA profile of the male suspect was developed from these items, but the suspect could not be identified.
The FGG investigation was conducted by Othram in partnership with the Horry County Police Department. The initial confirmation was made through surreptitious sampling.
Two other defendants, Samantha Rabon and Teresa Martin have also been charged in connection with the murders. Rabon is the daughter of Ford Sr. Martin pled to a lesser charge in exchange for her testimony against Grainger. She alleged that Rabon hired Grainger to kill her father and step-brother so that she could inherit their money. She offered him $20,000 to carry out the killings, but in the end she never paid him.
Grainger, 53, was convicted of two counts of murder, arson, unlawful use of a vehicle, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. Grainger was sentenced to two life terms without the possibility of parole, to be served consecutively.
Sources:
Owen, Michael. “Man Receives Back-to-Back Life Sentences in Murders of Horry Co. Father and Son.” MSN, April 6, 2023. Accessed April 28, 2023. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/man-receives-back-to-back-life-sentences-in-murders-of-horry-co-father-and-son/ar-AA19yTke.
Rowles, Courtney. “Trial Starts for Man Accused in Murders of Father, Son at Conway-Area Home.” ABC 15 News, April 4, 2023. Accessed April 28, 2023. https://wpde.com/news/local/randy-grainger-accused-murder-father-son-robert-robbie-ford-august-2018-trial-starts-conway-home-highway-19-horry-county-samantha-rabon-teresa-martin#.
Vazquez-Juarbe, Joel. “Loris Man Found Guilty in Murder-for-Hire Plot.” ABC15 News, April 5, 2023. Accessed April 28, 2023. https://wpde.com/news/local/murder-for-hire-loris-man-allegedly-killed-father-and-son-from-conway-for-money-court-death-double-horry-county-crime-police-department-randy-grainger-teresa-martin-samantha-raben-robbie-ford-robert.
Vogen, Michael. “Horry County Police Department Teams with Othram to Identify the Persons Responsible for the 2018 Murders of Robert and Robbie Ford.” DNASolves, com, April 25, 2023. https://dnasolves.com/articles/robbie-robert-ford-horry-double-murder/.