State v. Bostick

In this belated direct appeal, we are asked to determine whether the State produced enough evidence to survive a directed verdict motion by Roger Bostick during his murder trial for the death of Sarah Polite. Because we find the State’s evidence only raised a suspicion of guilt, we reverse.

FACTS

Polite was an older woman who served as the treasurer and secretary of her church. Her son, Rudy, lived with her in her house in Pineland, South Carolina, but her other son, Carl, lived two miles away. Typically, Polite would bring home a briefcase containing money from the church on Sunday for deposit…