Horry County judge removes himself from murder trial of ex-deputy coroner Chris Dontell

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — A judge overseeing the Horry County murder case of ex-deputy coroner Chris Dontell has agreed to remove himself from the case.

Judge Benjamin Culbertson’s decision came after an April 5 hearing on Dontell’s request to have him step down, according to a court document obtained by News13. No reason was given for the decision.

Dontell and Meagan Jackson are facing murder charges in the death of Gregory Vincent Rice in October 2020 . Rice’s body was found in the Pee Dee River on Nov. 8, 2020, according to authorities who said he had been shot multiple times.

Horry County Clerk Renee Elvis said such a decision by the judge “is not uncommon but it doesn’t happen every week, either.”

“If they know anything about the case that they feel they couldn’t be (or even the perception of them being) fair they likely will recuse themselves,” Elvin said. “It is just a process to try and keep each case as fair and impartial as is humanly possible.”

Dontell is scheduled to stand trial for murder starting on June 24. Jackson, the mother of Rice’s four children , was in court last week as prosecutors sought to revoke her bond in the case. The judge has yet to rule on the request.

News13 reached out to Culbertson via e-mail on Friday morning to ask for more information about his recusal. A member of his staff confirmed that they received the message, but we have not yet received a response.

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Dennis Bright is a Digital Producer at News13 . He joined the team in May 2021. Dennis is a West Virginia native and a graduate of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Follow Dennis on, Facebook , X, formerly Twitter , and read more of his work here .

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