I visualize the blood flowing from her body. Miss Howard was annoyed that Mr. Rowland was gone that morning, because she had given him her work shirt to launder, and had left her McDonalds visor in the back seat of his car. Mr. Rowlands shirt was also found in the bag. The temple is where Samantha Josephson became a Bat Mitzvah. The act also introduced criminal charges and penalties for people who pose as rideshare drivers. He was not willing to pay $300, so he gave it back. Samantha Josephson Was Stabbed 120 Times, Pathologist Testifies Crime College Student Who Mistook Suspect's Car for Her Uber Was Stabbed 120 Times: Pathologist Samantha Josephson lost so. Additionally, Josephsons DNA was collected from Rowlands fingernails. During the attack, Josephson attempted to shield herself. . "For whoever asked me for leniency, that's not part of my DNA," said Judge Newman. Additionally, Josephson suffered a severed hyoid bone, as well as stab wounds to her face, neck, shoulder, torso, back, lung, leg, and feet. [5] On July 27, the jury found Rowland guilty of Josephson's kidnapping and murder and the judge sentenced him to life in prison. She had gotten into a car thinking it was her Uber, police said.. Samantha, 21, got into Rowlands car after a night out in Columbias Five Points entertainment districtthinking it was an Uber ride that would take her back to her apartment, prosecutors said. "His selfish, unspeakable and violent actions created a hole in the universe, a hole in our universe, and we see the unimaginable ripple affect her world," she said in the WIS recording. Instead, I went to Colombia to gather her belongings. ", Marci then implored the court to keep Rowland in jail, and that he "should never be given the right to walk free again.". She continued: Why do we take swabs and submit them to analysts if were going to stand here and try to convince yall that it doesnt matter what they say? Dr. Thomas Beaverdetailed the many injuries the victim sustained, allegedly at the hands ofNathaniel David Rowland, 27. He took approximately 170 photographs (because of extent of injuries) and 13 x-rays (looking for pieces of knife that may have broken off and lodged in the body). She was awakened later that night when the police came to her house to question her. Howard also testified that she saw Rowland using bleach to clean the car, and later saw him cleaning a knife. Inside the vehicle, police found a container of liquid bleach, germicidal wipes, and window cleaner. The $35 a college student has in her bank account? During cross-examination, the defense suggested Josephson had what they described as offensive wounds on her knuckles. Dr. Thomas Beaver detailed the many injuries the victim sustained, allegedly at the hands of Nathaniel David Rowland, 27. Read more: The Wrong Car: Shocking Details Of Samantha Josephson's Alleged Murder. [35][36], Also in June 2019, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed Sami's Law, which requires more identification on ride-share vehicles. Lucas Daprile has been covering the University of South Carolina and higher education . The officer asked him to get out and he complied, but kept his hands in his pockets. Both sides have rested their case in the trial of the man charged with killing University of South Carolina student Samantha Josephson. In March 2019, Samantha Josephson, a white 21-year-old from New Jersey, was finishing her senior year at the University of South Carolina. Born in Princeton, Samantha was a student. Dr. Beaver found three wounds he considered lethal: Josephsons bloody underwear is shown to the jury. Samantha Josephson, 21, made the fatal mistake of not checking the Uber car she was boarding. The presiding judge, Clifton Newman, was black, and several of the jurors were black. . Prior to that, Dr. Thomas Beaver took the witness stand, telling jurors Josephson, 21, sustained several fatal wounds to the brain and neck when she was stabbed to death on March 29, 2019. As reported by The U.S. Sun, Rowland maintained his innocence and has never accepted any responsibility for Josephson's kidnapping or death. She was found dead in a field", "Benson, DeAngelo and Vainieri Huttle Bill "Sami's Law" Requiring Rideshare Driver, Car Identification Passes Assembly", "Nathaniel Rowland Trial: His DNA not found on Samantha Josephson, but someone else's was, defense saysn", "Nathaniel Rowland found guilty of the murder of Samantha Josephson", "Nathaniel Rowland sentenced to life in prison", "Life in prison for man in killing of South Carolina student who mistook his car for an Uber", "Pathologist speaks for the dead, tells jury in Rowland trial how USC student died", "Missing college student confirmed dead in South Carolina", "Grieving dad eulogizes daughter Samantha Josephson during tear-filled ceremony", "Slain USC student Samantha Josephson was 'sweet as can be,' planned to study law", "A South Carolina student thought she had gotten into her Uber, police say. My guess and its only a guess is that Mr. Rowland wanted to humiliate, rape, and kill a white woman. This post, about the need for blacks to support black businesses shows that Mr. Rowland was race conscious. The bill will be named the Samantha L. Josephson Ridesharing Safety Act. In the dark, she probably couldnt tell them apart. The man was almost immediately captured and identified as 24-year-old Nathaniel David Rowland. Hours later, hunters found her body", "Family, friends remember Samantha Josephson, murdered after mistaking her killer's car for Uber", "Slain University of South Carolina student died from multiple sharp force injuries, authorities say", "Jury soon will decide whether Nathaniel Rowland kidnapped, killed Samantha Josephson", "Both sides rest in trial of man charged with killing USC student Samantha Josephson", "Expert at SC murder trial: USC student stabbed more than 100 times", "South Carolina man charged with kidnapping, killing N.J. woman bound for Drexel law school", "Suspect in USC student's killing linked to another crime", "New charge filed in kidnapping, killing of USC student Samantha Josephson", "Man convicted of killing woman who mistook his car for Uber", "Fake Uber Driver Accused Of Killing Student Linked To Another Kidnapping", "Suspect in the murder, kidnapping of Samantha Josephson denied bond", "Store owner testifies that Nathaniel Rowland tried to sell him an iPhone after Samantha Josephson's disappearance", "Nathaniel Rowland gets life in prison for murdering USC student Samantha Josephson", "About Foundation | #WHATSMYNAME FOUNDATION | Samantha Josephson", "Three words to help avoid the tragedy of mistaking a killer's car for your Uber", "Slain USC student Samantha Josephson is namesake of ride-share law proposed in US Congress", "2019-2020 Bill 4380: Samantha L. Josephson Ridesharing Safety Act", "Samantha L. Josephson Ridesharing Safety Act", "North Carolina ridesharing bill makes it to governor's desk", "NC HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES PASSES PASSENGER PROTECTION ACT", "After rideshare scares, NC lawmakers sign Passenger Protection Act into law", "Senator Anna M. Kaplan Introduces Samantha L. Josephson Ridesharing Safety Act Following Tragedy in South Carolina", "After homicide, NJ's ride-share safety bill closer to becoming national law", "H.R.3262 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Sami's Law", "House passes 'Sami's Law,' ride-share safety bill named for slain USC student Samantha Josephson", "Killing of South Carolina student who mistook car for Uber prompts rideshare-safety campaign", "University of South Carolina awards posthumous degree to Samantha Josephson, who died after getting into wrong car", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murder_of_Samantha_Josephson&oldid=1132738963, This page was last edited on 10 January 2023, at 09:08. She asked where her visor was, and he replied, In the country., He told her that it had blood on it. "Unlike him, Samantha valued human life and could never harm another soul," Marci said in the WIS audio tape. #FakeUberMurderTrial The defendants DNA was not found under the victims fingernails HOWEVER we just learned that the victims DNA was found under the defendants fingernails. Several cameras caught the car in motion, as Mr. Rowland circled several times around the Bird Dog, making U-turns, like a shark hunting for prey, as an officer later put it. 5. . This is what one would expect to see if someone were trying to defend themselves from a stabbing, the forensic pathologist said. She was never seen alive again. Another witness earlier testified that Josephson's DNA was recovered from beneath Rowland's fingernails. [Image of Samantha Josephson via Columbia Police Department], Have a tip we should know? [16] An autopsy showed that she died of multiple sharp force injuries. Later that night, surveillance cameras from two ATMs caught a man of the same size and build as Mr. Rowland unsuccessfully trying to withdraw money using what the ATMs detected to be Josephsons bank card. He was charged with kidnapping, murder, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime in April 2019. I was planning my trip to Columbia in 2019 to watch my daughter graduate from college. "His actions were senseless vile and unacceptalbe," Marci continued. This appears to have been the one visible in the videos. If the races had been reversed, this case would have been a huge media sensation and there would have been immediate accusations of racism. The media would have rooted mercilessly through the killers background, looking for evidence. [12] She earned a full scholarship to Drexel University, as well as a partial scholarship to Rutgers[13] and aspired to practice international law. An Uber customer gets a photo of his driver, but Josephsons driver that night was a black man of the same build as the killer. "I am completely devastated and am praying for her family.". [8] "There's a thousand trails each that led to you. Born in Princeton, Samantha was a student at The University of South Carolina majoring in political science. Rowland was seen by cops driving a car that matched the description of the one Josephson was seen entering in CCTV footage. Mr. Rowland again said, Mind your business. She also noticed a spotted sheet, covered with blood, tied to the drivers side headrest. After less than two hours of deliberation, the jury found Nathaniel Rowland guilty of all three charges. "[8][31] Newman also characterized Rowland as being "heartless" and said the case was the "most severe" murder he had seen in court before. After the burial, the Josephson family will sit Shiva, then visiting hours will be on Thursday after 3 p.m. and Sunday starting at 12 p.m. at the family's house. Ewing Township, NJ SAMANTHA JOSEPHSON OBITUARY Samantha L. Josephson ROBBINSVILLE Samantha L. Josephson, 21, passed away Friday March 29, 2019. "I close my eyes and I feel what she endured at [Rowland's} hands 120 times. Century Foundation. Dr. Thomas Beaver, a forensic pathologist, did the autopsy and found that Josephson had 120 stab wounds, mostly on the right side of her body. The prosecution rested their case on Monday. Forensic investigators determined that she was killed in the car. Hours later, the young woman was found murdered many miles away from where she was last seen. First to testify Wednesday was a turkey . Mr. Rowlands defense had weak closing arguments. Police said they found blood and a cell phone in the back seat of Rowland's car, and both turned out to belong to Josephson. [22][26][20], Rowland was charged with kidnapping, murder, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime. Was Mr. Rowland pretending to be an Uber driver? [10] She attended the University of South Carolina (USC), where she majored in political science. There was an envelope in the trash, with Josephsons blood on it, and these words, in Mr. Rowlands handwriting: Duck tape tape whole body/gloves/All black/Flip phone/Gasoline/Matches.. Legislation at the federal level is pending. He could not say for certain that she was not strangled, however, he said. What happened to Samantha Josephson? According to authorities, Rowland activated the child locks so that the doors could only be opened from the outside, thereby trapping Josephson inside the vehicle. Josephsons hyoid bone was also broken, he said. Rowland maintained his innocence before being sentenced, with his attorneys pointing out that scientists werent certain his DNA was on the knife. Anastasia Katz, American Renaissance, August 6, 2021. A Chevy Impala rolls up, and. During the trial, the Cellular City employee identified Mr. Rowland as the man who tried to sell him the phone. If he liked lit places, he could have found one with young blacks. Mr. Rowland said, I know Im innocent, but I guess what I know, what I think really doesnt matter. Beaver said he did not know how Josephsons knuckles were injured. He assumed she had left her phone in the Uber car. The defense, on the other hand, has suggested other people were involved in killing Josephson. At USC, Samantha was majoring in political science, according to her obituary. And hopefully putting pressure on Uber and Lyft." What are you, crazy?. When she learned she had been accepted to Drexel Law School on a full scholarship, she decided to celebrate at the Bird Dog, a pub in the Five Points night-club area of Columbia. The details of the horrifying December assault come days after police in South Carolina announced that 21-year-old Samantha Josephson was found dead after getting into a car she may have thought was an Uber she ordered. Mr. Rowland was sitting in his car alone when police found his vehicle at about 2:30 a.m. He has no known criminal record of similar violence. [16], When investigators searched the trash behind Rowlands girlfriends residence, they uncovered cleaning supplies and a two-bladed knife, both of which had Josephsons blood on them. At one point, he went the wrong way down a one-way street. The video shows Samantha Josephson, 21, on her phone near a crowd gathered outside a bar in Columbia's Five Points entertainment district at around 2 a.m. Friday. The doctor testified that a pattern of close stab wounds showed she had been stabbed very rapidly. The images are of black women, but there are suggestions that Mr. Rowland was interested in white women. During the trial, his girlfriend said he described the area where he picked up Josephson as lit, meaning that it was active and exciting. Samantha Josephsons blood and DNA were found all over the car: the rear seat, the rear center console, the drivers side headrest, the gearshift, the seat backs, and the roof. The murder of Samantha Josephson, a student at University of South Carolina, in Columbia, South Carolina, occurred on March 29, 2019. [3], Rowland was arrested the next day, and charged with kidnapping and murdering Josephson. Robbinsvile officials also took time out to salute the family, noting that her father, Seymour, "was like a big brother" to people when they played baseball together. That probably happened when she was dragged by her feet to where she was dumped. Under New Grant Program, 5 New Open Houses In And Around The Princeton Area Worth A Look, Happy Summer Trails: Best Places To Hike Or Bike Around Princeton, Great Animal Shelters Around Princeton: Adopt, Volunteer Or Donate. Her shirt, which was orange, was so soaked with blood that it looked red. Investigators say Samantha got into a vehicle she believed was an Uber she called for a ride home. She attended the University of South Carolina where she majored in political science. [51], The Township of Robbinsville built a patio and rock garden, dedicating the landmarks to Josephson.[32]. Police have not said what was used to cause the wounds. During the jail hearing, Marci said there are no words to describe "the immense pain" the alleged killer's actions have caused her family and friends. The crossed-arms image in this post is the Wakanda Forever salute. Although she had contacted Uber for a ride, asThe U.S. Sunreported, authorities determined Josephson got into the wrong car. She asked if he had hit a dog. On March 29, University of South Carolina student Samantha Josephson was kidnapped and murdered after going to a bar with friends. They haven't saidwhy he allegedlyreturned to the Five Points area? Emailus. Jul 21, 2021. Over and over and over, fighting for her life, locked in his car." Murder victim Samantha Josephson, 21, was stabbed around 120 times in her horrific March 2019 death, according to Monday testimony from a forensic pathologist. [25] In addition to Josephsons murder, Rowland is alleged to have sold items that were stolen from a woman during a kidnapping in Columbia. She bled profusely, ultimately dying within 10-20 minutes, according to the pathologist who conducted an autopsy on her body. @LawCrimeNetwork pic.twitter.com/vpa5YKqC1J, Cathy Russon (@cathyrusson) July 26, 2021. The page had sexual images and references to sex. He testified that the average human has over a gallon of blood in his body, but Josephson had only two tablespoons, making it hard to get a large enough sample even for toxicology tests. A South Carolina man was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday for the 2019 abduction and murder of a 21-year-old college student who mistook his car for her Uber ride.The jury took a little more . WYFF4 reports Josephson was reported missing at approximately 1 p.m. by her roommates at The Hub apartment complex, as she never returned home and nobody could reach her by telephone. February 8, 2022 by Juliane Cunha. When she asked why, he said, Mind your business.. There was a strong smell of marijuana coming from the car. Police in Columbia, S.C. released a video of 21-year-old Samantha Josephson getting into a car she mistook for her Uber ride before her 2019 death. Are new stores coming to Quaker Bridge Mall in NJ? None of Rowlands DNA was found on Josephsons defensive wounds, said attorney Alicia Goode. Samantha Josephson was born in Princeton, but grew up in Robbinsville, New Jersey. June 28, 2022 In March 2019, Samantha Josephson's night out with friends in Columbia, South Carolina, suddenly ended when she got into a car she thought was the Uber ride she had booked. According to his Facebook page he attended South Carolina State University in 2017, but the schools chief of staff in 2019 confirmed he was not a student there at the time of Samanthas killing. Note the black fist. Specifically, the law requires companies to issue two "credential placards" to drivers of ride-share vehicles. (Source: Handout/WACH via FOX Edge) Gipson said . [26][18], On July 27, 2021, Rowland was found guilty of kidnapping and murdering Josephson and of possessing a weapon during a violent crime after the jury deliberated for a little over an hour. The 21-year-old's body was found with over 100 violent stab wounds in a remote field . But he also used it as an opportunity to warn students about ride-share services and to use them properly. A forensic pathologist goes over the autopsy report of Amy Mullis. Samantha Josephson, the missing University of South Carolina student, has been found dead her father, Seymour Johnson, said in a Facebook post amid rumors that she may have gotten into the. Samantha Josephsons parents established the #WHATSMYNAME Foundation in honor of their daughter, to promote rideshare safety. As Samantha Josephson's hometown of Robbinsville prepares to remember the University of South Carolina senior with a candlelight vigil on Tuesday night, many questions surround the circumstances of her death, including the biggest: Why? , covered with blood, tied to the jury this appears to have been the one Josephson was in... 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