Man Faces Justice After Fatal Shooting of Couple Who Sheltered His Family

A New York resident has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the fatal shooting of a couple in South Carolina, once considered acquaintances of his family.

Charles Saunders, aged 50, was convicted of the murders of Alesia Dykes, 40, and Bernard Lyles, 38, this past Thursday. The couple, residing in Hardeeville near the Georgia border, had welcomed Saunders’ adult son—whose mother is Dykes’ sister—into their home. Saunders was visiting from New York following the birth of his grandchild when he visited the couple’s apartment on June 18, 2024.

According to Trasi Campbell from the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, tensions had been escalating between Saunders and Lyles, leading to Saunders posting a social media video brandishing firearms and making threats.

On the day of the incident, Saunders arrived at the couple’s residence and engaged in a heated verbal exchange that quickly escalated into a physical confrontation. As the couple retreated inside their apartment, Saunders pursued them and discharged a 9 mm handgun into the residence, where three children were present.

After the shooting, Saunders fled the scene. One of the children managed to reach a nearby relative’s house to seek assistance. Tragically, Dykes was declared dead at the scene, and Lyles later died from his injuries at the hospital.

Surveillance cameras caught Saunders as he tried to evade law enforcement after the shooting. He removed his shirt and threw it in a dumpster; police found it and determined it had gunshot residue on it. Saunders was captured getting into a car and being dropped off at a Waffle House. Police found him there and arrested him on the spot.

Local CBS affiliate WTOC was in the courtroom for the three-day trial. Dykes’ sister testified that she found out Dykes and Lyles were shot when her nephew told her, “‘Iz shot momma and Boo Boo too,” referring respectively to Saunders, Dykes, and Lyles.

Saunders’ defense attorneys attempted to argue that he acted in self-defense when he shot Lyles and Dykes. The jury was not convinced, and it returned a guilty verdict on two counts of murder after about an hour.

Saunders was sentenced to two life sentences plus five years.