A Burke County jury found a domestic abuser and violent felon who used his toddlers as human shields in a standoff with police guilty of 25 counts Thursday.
Kevin McCardell, 34, was sentenced to 270 years in prison by Superior Court Judge John Flythe, Augusta Circuit District Attorney Jared Williams said in a statement.
During an eight-hour standoff, McCardell shot repeatedly at deputies while holding his 1- and 2-year old daughters as human shields, he said.
When SWAT entered the house, McCardell fired a gun at point blank range at Burke Sgt. Steven Kophazy, the DA said.
The gun misfired. McCardell was shot in the leg twice and wound up losing the leg.
On the run from an attempted murder charge in Baltimore, McCardell forced his family to move to Burke County, where he continued to abuse the mother of the girls.
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“Over the course of months, he split her head open with a flashlight, put knives and machetes to her throat and put a gun to her head. On the day in question, he beat her in the face with a dirty diaper,” Williams said.
She fled the house, leaving the girls behind to get help. When deputies approached, McCardell shot multiple times at Kophazy, Col. James Wylds, Lt. Cory Barrs, Sgt. Michael Murphy and Dep. Tyler May.
“The Burke County Sheriff’s Office did an admirable job apprehending a dangerous felon, saving the two beautiful babies he put in danger and ending the years-long cycle of abuse against their mother,” Williams said. “It is a miracle Sgt. Kophazy is alive. It’s a miracle he gets to be here with his wife and kids,” the Augusta Circuit DA said.
Burke Sheriff Alfonzo Williams said the Nov. 16, 2022, standoff “deeply shook the community.” He thanked the deputies for their bravery and professionalism.
“While the conclusion of this trial may provide a measure of closure for the victims and their families, we must also acknowledge the lasting scars left by McCardell’s actions,” the sheriff said.
The jury found McCardell guilty of attempted murder, five counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer, three counts of aggravated assault-family violence, three counts of false imprisonment, two counts of cruelty to children, seven counts of possession of a firearm during a crime, possession of a knife during a crime and simple battery-family violence.
Susan McCord is a staff writer with The Augusta Press. Reach her at susan@theaugustapress.com
