An Allendale man has pleaded guilty to obstructing a murder investigation in the 2019 killing of a South Carolina transgender woman.
Citing court documents, the U.S. Attorney's Office of South Carolina said in a release Thursday that Xavier Pinckney, 24, provided false and misleading information to state authorities on Aug. 15, 2019, as they investigated the Aug. 4 killing of Pebbles LaDime "Dime" Doe, a Black transgender woman.
The release said Pinckney admitted that he did hide information from state authorities about the use of a phone to call and text Doe the day she was murdered. The release said he also lied about seeing Daqua Ritter, Doe's alleged shooter, the morning of her death.
A sentencing date for Pinckney has not been scheduled.
He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the charge of obstruction of justice.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after.
In February, Ritter was hit with a five-count federal indictment, charging him with a hate crime, use of a firearm in connection with a hate crime and obstruction of justice. The hate crime count carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
South Carolina does not have a hate crime law.
“Hate has no place in South Carolina,” South Carolina's U.S. Attorney Adair Boroughs said in a statement Thursday. “The senseless murder of Dime Doe, and any act of violence against the LGBTQI+ community, confirms the need to confront hate in all its forms. Our office will continue to pursue justice for those impacted by bias-motivated crimes.”
