SPARTANBURG MAN RECEIVES 30-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE FOR SHOOTING DEATH

A Spartanburg man received a 30-year prison sentence today for shooting a local man to death.

Kenneth Lee Huckabee, 26, was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter and assault of a high and aggravated nature at the conclusion of a three-day jury trial. He will serve 85 percent of Circuit Judge Derham Cole’s prison sentence.

Huckabee shot Jerry E. Bridwell, 65, of Spartanburg, on July 18, 2007. Bridwell died as a result of two gunshot wounds to his lower back. The shooting occurred while Bridwell sat in the passenger seat of a Chevrolet pick-up on Bellew Carver Road near West Blackstock Road.

Witnesses testified the shooting occurred a drug deal gone array. Huckabee fired multiple shots into truck before he and Karim Hudani, 40, of Spartanburg, fled the scene in a separate vehicle borrowed from Angelina Faehnrich, 19, of Spartanburg.

Bridwell and his acquaintance drove to a nearby convenience store for help. He slipped into a coma and died on Aug. 14, 2007 at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center. Interviews with witnesses helped sheriff’s deputies develop their suspects. Hudani and Faehnrich testified against Huckabee. They both have charges pending.

“I’m very happy with the verdict,” Assistant Solicitor Abel Gray said. “It is a good verdict because there was a lot of testimony about a possible drug deal and the jury saw through it. They saw that a life was taken and somebody needed to pay.”

Huckabee’s prior criminal record included convictions for drug, property crime and driving offenses.

Gray teamed with Assistant Solicitor Bob Coler to prosecute the case.