A Year Later, Mystery Surrounds Double Murder

Leonard Porcoro admits that a year after his younger brother was shot to death in his Taylors home, he's managed to cope. But that doesn't mean there's peace.

"It gets easier as time goes by, of course," Porcoro said. "We were hoping to find something out really soon when it first happened, but we didn't. The longer we go on without knowing, we can't have closure. We can't heal."

On April 3, 2011, the Taylors Fire Department was dispatched to 2004 East Lee Road in Taylors - the home of Chris Porcoro. The duplex was on fire, and deputies with the Greenville County Sheriff's Office were on hand in the event there were any injured victims inside.

It wouldn't be long before firefighters told officers they'd found two bodies inside the home. One was Chris Porcoro's. The other was 18-year-old Amber Daniel, from Greer. Autopsies confirmed they'd both been shot before the fire started.

A year later, Detective Antonio Bailey is still digging, though the Greenville County Sheriff's Office is releasing limited information on the details of the case.

"The individuals were shot multiple times. That's pretty much that's all week know at this point. We've interviewed upward of 50 individuals, and we're still pursuing leads coming out of those interviews," Bailey said.

"Tips are still coming in. Of course, they're not coming in everyday. That's pretty much where we are. It's a slow, tedious process," he added.

Porcoro was 30 years old when he was killed and left behind a wife and children. Daniel was only 18, leaving behind family and friends who thought the world of her - friends like Brittany Nietlispach.

"She was definitely a daddy's girl," Nietlishpach said. "She was very outgoing. She had a ton of friends and would do anything for them. She always had a smile on her face and her personality could light up the room."

The events of that day and night preceding it remain shrouded in mystery. Leonard said he got a call from a close friend of his at roughly 5:30 a.m., who said he had been with Daniel, Porcoro and another person that night. The friend told Leonard he was afraid his brother was about to be robbed, but details were sketchy - by the time Leonard drove from his Powdersville home to Taylors, there seemed little amiss, he said. Porcoro was asleep on the couch. Daniel was awake.

While there, Leonard said, he saw methamphetamine inside the home, and he knew his brother to often carry a wad of money in his pocket. Looking back at it, he said, he suspects the murders may have been drug-related.

"I don't' know what to believe. That (drugs) was the first thing that came to mind, but no one has ever agreed with me saying it was drug-related or not," Leonard said. "They just say they can't disclose it."

Bailey said the investigation is still active and open, and that he is pursuing leads.

"Whether or not they used drugs is a possibility. To say that drugs caused their deaths would be an incorrect statement," Bailey said.

What is known for certain is that just after 10:30 a.m., after Leonard had left his brother's home, he got a call telling him the duplex was now on fire. He got in the car and began to drive back to Taylors.

"When I was on the way over there, I got a call back. They said they found two bodies inside," Leonard said. "I dropped my phone and just started crying. I didn't know what to expect when I got there."

Hours after seeing his brother alive, Leonard and the rest of his family found themselves on the opposite end of a table at the Greenville County Sheriff's Office to discuss his murder.

Now, families of Porcoro and Daniel are still picking up the pieces.

"I'll be out somewhere and I'll think 'my brother would like this.' Reality hits you. He's missed," Leonard said.

Cash rewards are available for information leading to an arrest. Those with information can contact CrimeStoppers at 232-7463.