Taylors Man Gets Life Sentence for 2010 Crime

A Taylors man has been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for his part in a 2010 home invasion in Greenville, 13th Circuit Solicitor Walter Wilkins said Friday.

Christopher Eric Russell, 41, of 202 Bane Road, was convicted of first-degree burglary, armed robbery, kidnapping, and conspiracy. Following his conviction on Wednesday, Judge R. Lawton McIntosh sentenced Russell to life without parole.

Russell, along with an accomplice, broke into a house on Caroline Drive in Greenville on Dec. 18, 2010, armed with pistols. Once inside, they overpowered and tied up 56-year-old Jeffrey Lyles, and his wif Elaine, holding him for more than 30 minutes while threatening them and demanding money.

A neighbor who was able to flee the house contacted police, who arrested Russell's accomplice, Antonias Williams, as he fled the house. Russell managed to escape police but was finally apprehended on Jan. 10, 2011.