The final chapter closed Friday in a harrowing case that left the Aiken community reeling, as prosecutors secured a conviction in the 2022 gang-related triple murder of three teenagers.
Alvin Artis IV, now 22, was found guilty on three counts of murder in the June 26, 2022 slayings of Willie L. Garrett IV (17), Cameron Carroll (16), and Ivan Perry (16). The teens were shot outside a trailer on Wadley Drive in Aiken County. Circuit Court Judge Martha M. Rivers sentenced Artis to three life terms.
The verdict followed a week-long trial, the second attempt by prosecutors to convict Artis after an earlier mistrial. Assistant Solicitors Hermoyne Morgan and Brandy Dodds led the state’s case, successfully countering defense claims that the victims were armed. That defense assertion was unsupported by evidence and contradicted by witness testimony, including that of co-defendant Antonio Jones, who was called from prison to testify for the defendant. Artis also took the stand.
The Road to Trial: Artis was the last of three suspects to face justice. Xabian Bailey, now 21, was convicted and sentenced to three life terms in 2024. The youngest defendant, Antonio Jones, who was 15 at the time of the killings, pleaded guilty to three counts of voluntary manslaughter and received three 25-year sentences. Jones is now 19.
The prosecution argued that the murders were gang-related and premeditated. On the day of the shooting, Artis, Bailey, and Jones drove to the Wadley Drive home in a black Hyundai.
An argument broke out, and the three teen suspects opened fire. Garrett and Perry died on the scene; Carroll died later at Augusta University Medical Center.
Willie and Cameron were first cousins. All three victims attended Aiken High School.
A Manhunt Ends in Oklahoma: After the killings, Artis disappeared, triggering a months-long manhunt that stretched across state lines. Artis had already been wanted by authorities since January of that year, after failing to appear in court on a charge of possessing a stolen firearm. He had been arrested, bonded out three days later, and vanished before his court date.
In the days following the shooting, the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office named Artis as a suspect and issued warrants for his arrest. Meanwhile, co-defendants Xabian Bailey and Antonio Jones were arrested, Bailey at a hideout on Lloyd Town Road, and Jones shortly after.
As weeks turned into months, investigators believed Artis had left South Carolina. Working with the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, authorities eventually tracked him to Lawton, Oklahoma, over 1,000 miles from Aiken.
On the morning of Dec. 7, 2022, marshals and local police arrested Artis without incident. Marshals and Lawton police had been conducting surveillance on a suspected residence and took Artis into custody as he came outside to get in an Uber. Officials later confirmed he had made no attempt to change his appearance or identity during his time on the run.
The arrest brought an end to a tense chapter in the investigation and offered a measure of relief to the families who had waited nearly six months to see all three suspects in custody.
A Troubled Past: Long before the fatal shootings on Wadley Drive, Artis had already established a troubling pattern of violent behavior and run-ins with the law, dating back to his teenage years.
At just 17, Artis was involved in a violent domestic incident at his family’s home on Claflin Drive in Aiken. According to police reports, he arrived unannounced to retrieve personal belongings despite prior incidents that led his family to bar him from the residence unless his mother was notified.
When his 12-year-old brother attempted to prevent him from entering the home, Artis allegedly pushed the boy and struck him in the face. The younger sibling responded by grabbing a kitchen knife to defend himself, chasing Artis out of the house. Once outside, Artis reportedly kicked the child in the head, an injury so forceful that the boy experienced hearing loss in one ear and required medical attention.
Their mother, who wasn’t home at the time, told officers she wanted Artis prosecuted. Police records show that Artis was already wanted on an unrelated assault charge at the time. He was arrested that night and charged with assault and battery as well as unlawful communications. A judge sentenced him to 30 days in jail.
That incident was just one in a string of brushes with law enforcement. In early 2022, just months before the murders, Artis was arrested again, this time for possession of a stolen firearm. After posting bond, he failed to appear for his court date, prompting a warrant for his arrest and marking the beginning of his flight from authorities. The murders followed while he was evading capture.
Community Impact and Gang Concerns: Authorities linked the killings to a surge in gang activity plaguing Aiken County. Then-Sheriff Michael Hunt said the arrests were the result of coordinated intelligence efforts, including the work of newly assigned gang investigators.
Public reaction to the killings and subsequent convictions was intense. Many expressed relief at the arrests, while others voiced frustration that the violence had ever occurred, with some suggested the killers should get the death penalty.
Justice After Devastation: Solicitor Bill Weeks called Friday’s verdict a hard-fought win for the victims’ families and the community. “This was a difficult case,” he said, crediting prosecutors Morgan and Dodds for their persistence and preparation.
The Wadley Drive murders devastated families, upended a school community, and ignited conversations about youth violence and gang recruitment in South Carolina’s small cities.
