GREENWOOD, S.C. – Investigators say the South Carolina man who killed five people before shooting himself lied to relatives about having a court hearing the day of the slayings.
Greenwood County Sheriff Tony Davis told reporters earlier this week that 27-year-old Bryan Sweatt had skipped a Tuesday hearing. That's the day authorities say he shot the mother of his infant daughter, her parents and two other children before turning a gun on himself.
But in a statement provided Friday to The Associated Press, Davis says he disclosed that information based on what Sweatt's relatives said the man told them before killing himself.
Davis says Sweatt faced a possible life sentence if he was convicted on a first-degree burglary charge. Online court records show that charge was still pending and don't list any upcoming hearings.
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