Mauldin double murder suicide: Christopher Minor, South Carolina man shoots dead, estranged wife, Mariellen Minor and her friend, Kim Thrift at Greenville County apartment complex parking lot after coming to pick up kids, with dad fleeing scene and taking his own life at nearby lake. Incident described as domestic in nature.
A husband is alleged to have shot dead his estranged wife and her friend at a South Carolina parking lot before then taking his own life some miles from the scene later that evening in a suspected double murder-suicide.
Mariellen Bessent Minor, 41, the daughter of an iconic nightclub owner and her friend Kim Melissa Thrift, 52, were found dead in the parking lot of a Mauldin apartment complex in Greenville County, where they had reportedly gone to pick up the children Minor shared with her estranged husband, Saturday night.
Estranged husband’s body found from self inflicted wound after fleeing scene
Christopher Minor, 50, was found dead by McCormick County lake on Sunday with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to authorities. He was wanted by police in connection with the double homicides, which took place at the Arbors At Brookfield Apartment Homes complex, around 6 p.m, WSPA reported.
A park ranger found the estranged husband’s car Sunday morning at Baker Creek State Park, 80 miles from the crime scene. He was found dead by Lake Thurmond in the park, Sunday morning at 10.15a.m, according to a City of Mauldin release.
Mauldin Police said that leading up to the shootings, the estranged husband and wife had been arguing before the man gunning down his spouse and her friend. The married couple’s children were still at the apartment when police arrived on the scene.
Police declined to say whether the couple’s two underage children witnessed the shooting.
Mariellen’s father, Harold Bessent, was a co-founder of the famed 1980s dance club ‘Fat Harold’s’ in North Myrtle Beach. Bessent, who is widely credited with helping establish ‘the shag’ as South Carolina’s state dance, died in 2015, at the age of 82, WBTW reported.
Estranged wife & friend had arrived at husband’s apartment complex to pick up their two kids
According to her LinkedIn profile, Mariellen Minor worked as a real estate agent in Greenville and graduated from Clemson University in 2004.
Mariellen Bessent moved to Greenville in 2012, according to her professional biography on C. Dan Joyner Realtors’ website.
‘I am originally from North Myrtle Beach, where fun in the sun, beach music, and shag dancing reign supreme,’ she wrote. ‘Like many beach natives, my career began in the service and hospitality industries. My father owned restaurants in North Myrtle, so I was born and raised in the restaurant biz.’
At a Sunday afternoon press conference, police said that Mariellen Minor and Christopher Minor were married but had separated.
Ongoing domestic violence
Mariellen Minor and Thrift were had arrived at the apartment complex to pick up children that the couple shared along with some items. A fight then occurred, leading to the shooting, police said. The father fled the scene, before taking his own life shortly after an hours drive away from the crime scene.
The estranged wife’s body was found lying outside of a car in the parking lot with multiple gunshot wounds. The wife’s friend’s body was found inside a stationary vehicle with also multiple gunshot wounds.
Deputies said Mariellen Minor was living with Thrift in Greenville County while estranged from her husband.
Police said that Mariellen Minor was the victim of domestic violence, while noting no prior report had previously been filed.
Christopher Minor had faced a variety of charges over the years, including assault, WYFF reported.
Authorities had yet to say what led to the estranged couple arguing and why the father shot dead his spouse and her friend before later taking his own life.
The couple’s children are now with family, investigators said.
