Woman accused of involvement in 2021 Lady’s Island murder back in jail, officials say
A woman who was charged with murder after a 2021 shooting on Lady’s Island was back at the Beaufort County Detention Center on Monday after not appearing in court, court records show.
Brittany Tiarra Smalls, 30, of St. Helena Island, was initially charged with murder, possession of a weapon in the commission of a violent crime and obstruction of justice in October 2021.
After her initial arrest, Smalls was released on bond from the detention center in Beaufort on the condition that she live at a specific address on St. Helena Island and abide by a curfew from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m., according to court records. Smalls was granted a $30,000 bond for the obstruction of justice charge and $10,000 each for the murder and weapon charge.
Smalls’ attorney, Jared Newman, said Monday that the reasoning for Smalls being jailed was due to a communication issue getting her to court.
Two others — William Johnson III and Josephine Seabrook — also were charged in connection to the shooting. Johnson and Smalls were charged days after 47-year-old Laventis Cohen was found shot in a home on Lady’s Island, according to previous reporting from the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette.
Johnson also faces charges of murder, possession of a weapon in the commission of a violent crime and obstruction of justice. Seabrook was charged almost a year later as an accessory after police accused her of picking up Johnson the day of the shooting and driving him to Augusta, Georgia.
On Oct. 16, 2021, deputies from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office were called out to Brickyard Point North for a shooting where they found a man, identified as Cohen, dead inside the home. Cohen had been shot multiple times and the shooting stemmed from a “domestic incident,” according to authorities. Smalls was at the house when police arrived, but was not immediately charged.
As of Monday morning, Smalls remained in custody at the Beaufort County Detention Center.
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The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette publishes police booking photos, or mugshots, in the following instances:
In situations where a public figure or someone in a position of public trust is arrested
In cases where there is an immediate and widespread threat to public safety
In cases where the arrested person is accused of a crime reporters have evidence to believe involved numerous, unknown victims
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