Plaza
NEWBERRY COUNTY — Sheriff Lee Foster announced the arrest of a Whitmire man on charges of murder from an early Sunday morning shooting near Whitmire.
Blaize Pedro Plaza, 19, of S.C. 66, was arrested in Whitmire late Monday night. He was taken to the Newberry County Detention Center, where he will await bonding by a Circuit Court judge.
Investigators were able to piece various sources of information together that led to Plaza’s being a person of interest, according to Foster.
Plaza and the victim, Jamal Jermain Alston, met through a social networking website. Late Saturday night or early Sunday morning, Alston drove to an address on S.C. 66 to pick up Plaza and an unidentified female. After a short drive, Plaza asked Alston to pull over near the Newberry/Laurens County line to perform a biological function, according to Foster. When Plaza returned to the car, the doors were initially locked. When Alston unlocked the doors, Plaza began firing into the car, striking Alston several times. Alston was able to exit the vehicle and run into the woods with Plaza chased him, continuing to fire his weapon.
Plaza and the female then took the victim’s vehicle and drove to Eaves Road in Union County, where he burned the vehicle to conceal evidence, according to Foster.
Investigators from Newberry County, SLED, and Whitmire Police are continuing to investigate this case and more charges are forthcoming.