News 12 First @ Five -- March 15, 2010

WAGENER, S.C. --- Ashes on the door step, siding missing from the frame and two family pets with no place to call home are all that's left after Aiken County investigators find 57-year old George Griffin, dead in a fire.

"I miss having him to work with, to argue with, I miss having him to do a lot of things together," said Griffin's friend Eugene Bailey.

The Aiken County coroner says an autopsy shows a number of suspicious injuries on griffin's body, leading them to investigate his death as the county's first homicide of the year. They say Deshawn Sanders is the man accused in his death. Friends like Eugene bailey are still in shock.

"I drove in town, got a call saying he was dead and I just had to sit down and try to figure out what happened," said Bailey.

People on Buckboard Road say they were in shock when they found out George lost everything in the fire, but when they found out he lost his life before the fire even happened; has them asking questions.

"What happened, because he had just had pins put in his knees and legs and couldn't get around," asked Bailey.

"It hurt, it really did because although he was a different race, he meant a lot to my family," said Robin McCormick. She's been friends with Griffin most of her life and says she's glad to see his accused killer brought to justice. "I want them to find whoever did this to him because he didn't deserve this at all. He was a good man," said McCormick.

Aiken County investigators say Sanders is charged with first degree arson and murder.