New developments in homicide case near Westminster

A man near Columbia is in jail in Spartanburg as part of an investigation of a homicide last week near Westminster.  Oconee Sheriff’s Office this morning announces the charge of murder against 34-year old Swansea, South Carolina resident Phillip Ronald Miller.  According to the sheriff’s office, Miller is charged in a warrant with murder in the shooting death of Michael Rodney Johnson August 23 at a home on Westminster’s Hobson Street.  According to the sheriff’s office, Miller is also charged August 23 with breaking into a home on the Mormon Church Road near Seneca with a second man, assisting him in leaving the scene of a crime.  Furthermore, according to the sheriff’s office announcement, murder charges have been dismissed against 37-year old Carrie Leigh Tyner in the Johnson homicide.  The statement reads:  “During the course of the investigation, evidence was obtained that a while female, identified as Tyner, was seen running away from the crime scene after the initial reports of shots were fired were received by dispatch on the evening of Monday, August 23rd….While the investigation determined she was present during the murder, no evidence exists at this point to show Tyner was an active participant in the shooting.  Based on new evidence in the case, investigators determined Miller to be responsible for the death.”