A Man High on Meth Sentenced to Life Without Parole for Killing Five People
James Douglas Drayton, a 28-year-old man who was high on methamphetamine and hadn’t slept for days, was sentenced to life without parole after pleading guilty to the murders of five people in Spartanburg County. The killings took place in October 2022 in a home frequented by drug users.
Drayton admitted to the murders in exchange for prosecutors not seeking the death penalty, according to Solicitor Barry Barnette. He also waived his right to appeal, accepting the life sentences for five counts of murder that do not allow for parole.
Authorities stated that Drayton was high on methamphetamine and in a sleep-deprived state when he committed the murders. The motive behind the killings was not disclosed, but Drayton confessed to killing everyone in the home where he was staying.
All five victims were shot at close range, with some still asleep when Drayton carried out the shootings, as per Barnette.
Former Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright expressed remorse, stating, “They are all a child of God — they didn’t deserve what they got,” regardless of their background or circumstances.
Drayton was apprehended the following day after a police chase in Burke County, Georgia, where he was found driving one of the victim’s cars and in possession of the murder weapon.
Family members of the victims supported the plea deal and life sentence, expressing in court how Drayton’s actions had devastated their lives, according to prosecutors.
The five men who lost their lives in the tragic incident were identified as Thomas Wayne Ellis Anderson (37), James Derrick Baldwin (49), Mark Allan Hewitt (59), Adam Daniel Morley (32), and Roman Christean Megael Rocha (19).
