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Conviction Affirmed for Man Who Kidnapped, Murdered 80-year-old Horry County Woman Publisher: U.S. Attorney's Office, District of South Carolina Dateline: Richmond, Virginia 
Date: 20 March 2025 Subjects: American Government , Crime
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RICHMOND, Va. — The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the 2022 conviction of Dominique Devonah Brand for kidnapping resulting in death, carjacking resulting in death, and using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence in a manner constituting murder.
In a written opinion, the court affirmed Brand’s convictions following a multi-day bench trial in September 2022. Evidence presented at trial established that on Sunday, March 28, 2021, Brand entered the Nichols, South Carolina, home of Mary Ann Elvington, a retired elementary school teacher and stalwart in her church and community. In the days prior, Brand had burglarized another nearby residence, stealing a shotgun, in addition to burglarizing and vandalizing a local church. Brand forced Ms. Elvington to drive him from her house to Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina, and back into South Carolina. During this trip, Brand sat behind Ms. Elvington with the shotgun before forcing her into the back seat and driving her to a remote crossroads in Marion County. Once there, he marched her behind an abandoned grocery store, held the shotgun to the back of her head, and pulled the trigger, executing her. Brand then drove Ms. Elvington’s car to Marion, where he hid it behind an abandoned club. Ms. Elvington’s body was located the following evening. During a post-arrest statement to authorities, Brand denied committing the murder, but his guilt was proven at trial with DNA evidence, cell phone analytics, and crime scene analysis.
“We are pleased that the Fourth Circuit has affirmed the convictions we proved beyond a reasonable doubt in the senseless kidnapping and murder of Ms. Mary Ann Elvington,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Brook B. Andrews for the District of South Carolina. “This has been a painful ordeal for her loved ones, and we send our continued support to Ms. Elvington’s family.”
United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon presided over the trial and imposed two concurrent life sentences for the carjacking and kidnapping convictions, plus 10 consecutive years for using a firearm during the commission of these offenses. Brand, now 33, is in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons at USP Hazelton in West Virginia.
The case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office with significant assistance from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), Horry County Police Department, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Marion Police Department, Lake View Police Department, and Nichols Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Everett McMillian and Kathleen Stoughton prosecuted the case along with Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Hixson, who also serves as the Deputy Solicitor for the 15th Judicial Circuit.
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Updated March 20, 2025