Orangeburg County murder suspect to appeal 30-year sentence

ORANGEBURG COUNTY, S.C. - Attorneys representing the man convicted and sentenced last week in a 2022 Orangeburg County shooting death have filed a notice of appeal for their client.

A judge sentenced Antar Antonio Jeter, 49, of West Columbia, to 30 years in prison on Aug. 11 after Jeter entered a guilty plea to a charge of voluntary manslaughter, Solicitor David Pascoe said.

Jeter entered the plea in the shooting death of Crystal Jumper in her home.

Members of Jumper’s family issued a statement through their attorney, Justin Bamberg, which read in part:

Although nothing can bring Ms. Jumper back to them, her family is thankful that Antar Jeter accepted responsibility and spared the family of having to relive the pain and anguish they’ve experienced over the past three years.

Attorneys filed a notice of appeal to the South Carolina Court of Appeals on Monday, court documents state.

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Investigators discovered killing during welfare check

Deputies with the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office conducted a welfare check at Jumper’s home on Louise Drive on Nov. 24, 2022, after family members said they hadn’t heard from her since early that month.

When they entered the home, they found Jumper’s decomposing body on a bed. Investigators said she died of a gunshot wound to the head.

They identified Jeter, who was Jumper’s ex-boyfriend and the father of her children, as a person of interest.

Pascoe’s office said Jeter had recently moved back into the home and text messages between Jumper and a friend indicated “escalating tensions” between Jumper and Jeter, he said.

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A 5-year-old girl who also lived in the home was not found at the scene, deputies said.

Pascoe’s office said investigators determined Jumper’s phone activity stopped on Nov. 1, 2022, at 6:38 p.m., but phone records showed the device moved away from the home at 6:59 p.m. that night.

Surveillance and license plate reader footage later captured Jeter driving Jumper’s vehicle with the missing child inside.

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A witness in Fayetteville, North Carolina, reported a man panhandling with a small child on Nov. 8, 2022, and gave police a photograph of the vehicle and license plate. Investigators said surveillance footage confirmed Jeter’s identity and that of the child.

Police in Danville, Virginia, arrested Jeter on Dec. 9, 2022, and the 5-year-old, who was found safe, was returned to family members.

Jeter was extradited to South Carolina, where he eventually pleaded guilty to the voluntary manslaughter charge.