SC man gets 40 years for beating woman to death

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina man has been sentenced to 40 years behind bars for using a baseball bat to beat a woman to death.

William Tommie Smith, 66, of Inman, pleaded guilty to murder after his trial started and was sentenced Tuesday. He was charged with killing Brenda Kay Tanner, 55, also of Inman, on Dec. 2, 2018, at his home, The Spartanburg Herald-Journal reported.

The Seventh Circuit Solicitor’s Office said Tanner died of nine to 10 blows to the head.

Smith called 911 to report the crime and admitted, during the call, to smoking crack cocaine, the solicitor’s office said. Smith later surrendered to the Spartanburg County jail.

The solicitor’s office said when deputies arrived at Smith’s house, they found Tanner in a bedroom with an electrical cord wrapped around her neck and tied in several knots. The baseball bat was on the bed beside her body, authorities said.

“Brenda Kay Tanner’s death was a senseless tragedy,” Solicitor Barry Barnette said in a statement. “I hope her family and friends can rest easier knowing that William Tommie Smith will spend the balance of his life in prison.”