Man Gets 35 Years for 2010 Homicide

A judge has sentenced Adrian Beaton to 35 years in jail for murder, kidnapping, first-degree burglary and assault and battery with intent to kill for a brutal 2010 Mount Pleasant home invasion and homicide.

Beaton, 22, of North Charleston, pleaded guilty this week for his part in the crime.

Authorities allege he and two accomplices broke into Jose Contrerras’ apartment in March 2010 and then initiated a burglary that eventually left one man dead and two others injured.

Contrerras was bound, pistol-whipped and stunned from a Taser gun, laying on the floor in his apartment, when two friends showed up at his apartment to take him to run errands.

His friends, Oscar Girdon and his wife Leticia Herrara, surprised the intruders and authorities allege Beaton fatally shot Girdon twice, and then shot Herrara in the chest. She survived, he did not.

All three suspects fled the scene. Area schools were put on lockdown as the police searched for the assailants' vehicle.

Prosecutors praised Mount Pleasant police for collecting solid evidence that led to the arrest and guilty plea.

"Meticulous crime scene analysis led to a DNA match to Beaton from swabs taken from the cords used to bind Contrerras," said Prosecutor Jennifer Kneece Shealy. "The DNA led to Beaton’s arrest and eventual conviction."

Beaton has two previous burglary charges. He was sentenced Thursday by Circuit Court Judge Thomas Hughston.

"The Mount Pleasant Police Department should be commended for their thorough investigative efforts and excellent police work involved in bringing Adrian Beaton to justice," said Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson.

Police also arrested James Gerald Pinckney Jr., 28, and Terrell R. Montgomery, 33, for their roles in the home invasion. Their cases are still pending.