Date Published: June 20, 2009
Police: Murder victim Lizard Man witness
By RANDY BURNS
Item Staff Writer
rburns@theitem.com
http://www.theitem.com/article/20090620/ITNEWS01/706209982
Police have made no arrests in the case of a 37-year-old Sumter man shot to death Wednesday.
Christopher Davis was killed shortly before 11 p.m. in an incident at his home at 5230 DuBose Siding Road. Investigators say Davis was targeted in a drug-related incident.
"We've had several leads, but nothing has panned out so far," said Capt. James Turner of the Sumter County Sheriff's Office.
Davis, a Lee County native, recently moved to Sumter County, Lee County officials said. Davis became an international celebrity at the age of 16 when he reported the first sighting of the legendary Lizard Man of Lee County.
Former Lee County Sheriff Liston Truesdale said there would be no Lizard Man without Davis.
"In July 1988, Chris was the first witness interviewed as seeing the Lizard Man," Truesdale said. "And what impressed me was that he told the same story every time. And he had to tell the story over and over again to the media and others. If you're lying, you can't tell the same story twice."
Everybody wanted to hear the Lizard Man story from the eyewitness, Truesdale said.
Davis served as a grand marshal at a festival parade and signed T-shirts at a mall in Myrtle Beach, he said.
"At that time, he was super, nice kid," he said. "You know, I bet he told the story more than 100 times every week for several weeks."
Truesdale said he believes the media attention and publicity became too much for him.
"He could have made a mint from this," Truesdale said. "A lot of people don't know that he was scheduled to go to the Oprah (Winfrey) Show, but he canceled it. I think finally he just had enough."
Davis' death marked the fourth homicide in Sumter County jurisdiction in 2009. There have been five in the city of Sumter jurisdiction.
Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis said the county saw nine homicides within his jurisdiction in 2008.
Dennis, in office since 2004, said the number of homicides during his tenure has varied from two or three a year to five to seven to the nine people killed last year.
Funeral services for Davis will be held at 1 p.m. Monday at the New Haven United Methodist Church in Bishopville.
If anyone has information on the shooting, call the Sumter County Sheriff's Office at (803) 436- 2700 or Crime Stoppers at (803) 436-2718. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.
Contact Staff Writer Randy Burns at rburns@theitem.com or (803) 491-4533.
Police: Murder victim Lizard Man witness
By RANDY BURNS
Item Staff Writer
rburns@theitem.com
http://www.theitem.com/article/20090620/ITNEWS01/706209982
Police have made no arrests in the case of a 37-year-old Sumter man shot to death Wednesday.
Christopher Davis was killed shortly before 11 p.m. in an incident at his home at 5230 DuBose Siding Road. Investigators say Davis was targeted in a drug-related incident.
"We've had several leads, but nothing has panned out so far," said Capt. James Turner of the Sumter County Sheriff's Office.
Davis, a Lee County native, recently moved to Sumter County, Lee County officials said. Davis became an international celebrity at the age of 16 when he reported the first sighting of the legendary Lizard Man of Lee County.
Former Lee County Sheriff Liston Truesdale said there would be no Lizard Man without Davis.
"In July 1988, Chris was the first witness interviewed as seeing the Lizard Man," Truesdale said. "And what impressed me was that he told the same story every time. And he had to tell the story over and over again to the media and others. If you're lying, you can't tell the same story twice."
Everybody wanted to hear the Lizard Man story from the eyewitness, Truesdale said.
Davis served as a grand marshal at a festival parade and signed T-shirts at a mall in Myrtle Beach, he said.
"At that time, he was super, nice kid," he said. "You know, I bet he told the story more than 100 times every week for several weeks."
Truesdale said he believes the media attention and publicity became too much for him.
"He could have made a mint from this," Truesdale said. "A lot of people don't know that he was scheduled to go to the Oprah (Winfrey) Show, but he canceled it. I think finally he just had enough."
Davis' death marked the fourth homicide in Sumter County jurisdiction in 2009. There have been five in the city of Sumter jurisdiction.
Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis said the county saw nine homicides within his jurisdiction in 2008.
Dennis, in office since 2004, said the number of homicides during his tenure has varied from two or three a year to five to seven to the nine people killed last year.
Funeral services for Davis will be held at 1 p.m. Monday at the New Haven United Methodist Church in Bishopville.
If anyone has information on the shooting, call the Sumter County Sheriff's Office at (803) 436- 2700 or Crime Stoppers at (803) 436-2718. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.
Contact Staff Writer Randy Burns at rburns@theitem.com or (803) 491-4533.
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