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SC death row inmate dies in Columbia prison after extended illness

South Carolina Public Radio | By SC Public Radio Staff
Published September 7, 2026 at 1:33 PM EDT
South Carolina Department of Corrections
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The South Carolina Department of Corrections says Louis Michael Winkler Jr., 66, was pronounced dead shortly before 9 a.m. Monday at Kirkland Correctional Institution.

The South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) says an autopsy will be performed on 66-year-old Louis Michael Winkler Jr. The S.C. Death Row inmate died shortly before 9 a.m. Monday at Kirkland Correctional Institution after an extended illness.

Winkler was convicted of murder, first-degree burglary and assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature following the 2006 shooting death of his estranged wife, Rebecca Grainger Winkler of Loris.

South Carolina Department of Corrections
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Winkler was out on bond for kidnapping, rape and assault charges involving his estranged wife when he kicked in her door and shot her in the face at close range in front of her teenage son. He then hid in the woods for two weeks before being arrested.

Winkler was sentenced to death in 2008.
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