Defendant allegedly hired to kill father, son on trial. Case was unsolved for 2 years

Opening arguments were heard in court Tuesday morning for a double homicide case that lay cold for two years.

Defendant Randy Grainger, of Loris, is on trial for multiple charges, including murder and arson. Grainger is accused of killing Robert Marion Ford Jr., 59, and Robbie Stetson Ford, 25, at their home on Highway 19 in the Conway area in 2018.

He was arrested along with two other defendants in 2020. His trial is expected to continue through Thursday.

Grainger could face life in prison if convicted.

Cold Case Update: Horry father and son murdered. Two years later, 3 are behind bars

Mary Allen Walter, the assistant solicitor prosecuting the case, laid out the foundation of the Aug. 17, 2018, killing of the father and son.

Samantha Rabon, of Aynor, solicited Grainger to kill her father and brother at their home for inheritance money, Walter said. She is facing two charges of murder. Her trial is still to come.

“She decided that it was time for Robert and Robbie to be taken care of so that she could inherit the money that they have,” Walter told the jury.

The third defendant, Teresa Martin, was initially charged with conspiracy to commit a felony at the time of her arrest. She will appear as a witness for the state’s case, in exchange for a lesser charge of accessory after the fact, according to Walter.

Martin’s role was to signal when Grainger was at the victim’s home and to pick him up after the crime, Walter said.

Cellphone records connect the two to the scene, she said.

Grainger shot both victims multiple times, Walter told the jury. DNA evidence left on cigarette butts and a partially burned skull cap inside the son’s car allowed investigators to identify him, Walter explained.

Jonathan Hiller, the attorney representing Grainger, told the jury to pay attention to what was not being said.

Grainger was wearing a dark button down shirt, while sitting at the defense’s table. Most of the empty seats in the courtroom were filled.

Hiller alleges that Martin, by taking a plea agreement, is taking “the easy way out to save her own skin,” and the story the state is presenting is not a full picture.

“There are more puzzle pieces missing than I can count,” he said, alluding to the state’s use of a puzzle analogy.