‘Boogeyman’ charged in death of SC woman missing for 13 years, body found in sand pit

Thirteen years ago, Adrianna Laster told witnesses that that her boyfriend Freddie Grant was going to kill her. Then she disappeared, according to warrants for Grant’s arrest filed Thursday in Kershaw County court.

The charge against Grant, who who law enforcement officials long suspected of abducting and murdering the mother and Florida native, comes just weeks after remains belonging to Laster were found in a sandpit in Elgin, South Carolina.

It is the second murder connected to Grant, who pleaded guilty in 2013 to abducting and murdering 15-year-old Gabriellia “Gabbiee” Swainson of Richland County.

On Feb. 1, the Elgin Police Department charged Grant with two counts of domestic violence, one count of kidnapping and one count of murder in Laster’s death.

The murder warrant states that Grant killed Laster around Sept. 4, 2011. She was last seen on Kelly Street in Elgin, where the two had been living together since 2009. While Grant was the prime suspect in Laster’s disappearance — the warrant cites his history of domestic violence towards her, his long criminal history and his proximity to her before her death — no charges had been filed until last week.

“This was a long time coming,” said Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott. “We knew that he was responsible for Adrianna Laster’s death but it was just a matter of finding her body.” Laster’s remains were found in Richland County, just a few miles away from where Swainson’s body was recovered.

There was no deal cut for Grant, who Lott in 2012 called a “boogeyman” and a “monster.” In 2013, Grant ultimately made a deal with authorities and led investigators to Swainson’s body in exchange for a 30-year sentence and the release of his daughter, who was accused of being an accessory, from jail.

Kershaw County court records indicate that Grant has been indicted, but records do not provide any information about whether bond has or will be set for Grant. He is currently incarcerated at the state Department of Corrections.

Laster met Grant when he was living in Florida, said Phyllis Horn, the paternal grandmother of Laster’s daughter, Crystal.

Court records show that, after serving in the Army, where he was convicted for assault, Grant split his time between Florida and South Carolina. All the while, he racked up criminal charges. In July 1988 he was charged with aggravated battery on a spouse and disorderly conduct in Dade County, Florida. In October 1990 he was charged with cocaine trafficking in Dade County, and the following January he was charged with cocaine distribution in Richland County.

While out on bond for the South Carolina charge, he was arrested again on cocaine possession in Florida after a search of his bag on an Amtrak train revealed a loaded pistol, according to court records. As Grant fled the cops, he threw down a baggie containing cocaine. He was convicted of this charge in May 1992 and received a sentence of two days time served.

Laster came to live with Grant around 2009, after meeting him in Florida. One warrant filed Thursday alleges that on Nov. 9, 2010, Grant choked Laster, struck her in the face and dragged her, leaving scrapes on her hips and legs and bruises on her right arm.

The next April, a warrant accuses Grant of dragging Laster again, causing her to fall against a table and hitting her head, cutting it open. He then allegedly struck her in the mouth.

A warrant accusing Grant of kidnapping alleges that on June 18, 2011, Grant put Laster into a chokehold and dragged her into his vehicle before knocking her unconscious with a punch to the back of her head. The warrant says Laster regained consciousness while on I-20 in Lexington County. She began to fight with Grant inside of the vehicle, and only manged to escape when she grabbed the steering wheel and forced the vehicle off the road.

Court records from Grant’s 2012 arrest in Swainson’s death say that he dragged Laster out of a car and slammed her head into a brick wall. Laster received a knot on her head, scratches on her arms and neck and a cut on her leg.

Grant was convicted of criminal domestic violence in July 2011 and received a 30 day jail sentence that was suspended after he paid a $1,073 fine.

Laster had been missing since Labor Day weekend 2011, when neighbors on Kelly Street saw her walking to church.

She wasn’t reported missing until March 2012, just months before Grant abducted and murdered Swainson.

Grant has been incarcerated since 2012, when he was arrested and charged with being a felon in possession of a weapon after shotgun shells and .38-caliber bullets were found at his home during the search for Swainson. During that search, investigators discovered that one of the last places that her cellphone was active was near Grant’s home.

Following the search of the home, they discovered duct tape with Swainson’s DNA as well as a key to Swainson’s home in Northeast Columbia, where she lived with her mother. Grant, who had done some work around the Swainson’s home, had previously claimed to have lost the key.

Grant initially denied any connection to Swainson’s disappearance. But in 2013, he confessed and led law enforcement to Swainson’s grave after officers charged his daughter with being an accessory when she was discovered to have been in the vicinity of the Myrtle Beach Piggly Wiggly where Swainson’s cellphone was found.