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Inset: Erin Thomas (Lanford-Gwinn Mortuary). Background: Stephen “Andrew” White is sentenced to prison for killing Thomas in the parking lot of the Laurens County Courthouse in South Carolina (WHNS).
A 34-year-old man from South Carolina drove over and fatally shot his wife’s lover in a courthouse parking lot after discovering he was not the biological father of her daughter, leading to what he described as a moment of snapping.
Stephen “Andrew” White admitted to the murder and unlawful firearm possession in the killing of 34-year-old Erin Lee Thomas, which took place outside the Laurens County Courthouse. A judge handed White a 40-year prison sentence on Monday, as reported by the 8th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
According to a video shared by local Fox affiliate WHNS, the tragic event unfolded on August 12, 2024, after a court hearing concerning White’s wife and her child with Thomas.
Prosecutors stated that the hearing concluded without any major conflicts or arguments. Following its conclusion, White, his wife, and Thomas parted ways. White then proceeded to get into his vehicle and struck Thomas in the parking lot, fracturing his leg.
White retrieved a gun from a diaper bag and attempted to shoot Thomas as he lay on the ground. Although the gun initially jammed, White managed to clear the obstruction and fatally shot Thomas before turning himself in to the authorities.
White’s attorney, Chelsea B. McNeill, told the judge that “something inside him snapped” when he learned that he was not the biological father of his wife’s child.
“One of the worst things that can happen to a father … other than to find out that your child is deceased is to find out that the child you thought was your own was actually not your own,” McNeill said. “Andrew’s wife had an affair with Erin prior to them getting married. She came clean about that affair and he chose to forgive her. What he didn’t know is she had resumed that relationship with Erin and became pregnant with Erin’s child.”
But prosecutors noted that White learned about the child’s paternity roughly a year before the fatal encounter. They also said the victim was immobilized after he was hit by a car and unable to escape because of a broken leg when White shot him dead.
“This was a calculated and deeply personal act of violence that unfolded in a place where families are supposed to find peaceful resolution to disputes — not further heartache and tragedy,” 8th Circuit Solicitor David M. Stumbo said in a statement. “Stephen White chose to maliciously take a life in the place that many of us come to work to serve the public every day and in the process took two father figures — the victim and himself — out of the life of an innocent child permanently.”
At sentencing, Thomas’ grandmother, Kay McMahan Trotter, spoke about how close she was with her grandson. He loved being a father, she said.
“Fatherhood wasn’t just a label to Erin, it became his most important position in life,” she said, adding that he provided financial assistance to White and his wife so that his daughter could have a good home. “Erin deserved gratitude, not a bullet.”