CONWAY, SC — A DeKalb County man will spend the next three decades in prison after pleading guilty to murder in the death of a woman during a 2023 trip to Myrtle Beach.
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Fifteenth Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson announced that Bornold Alastair Eberhart, 44, of Decatur, entered a guilty plea Tuesday, one month before his trial was set to begin.
Eberhart pleaded guilty to the murder of Kristen Laymon. A judge sentenced Eberhart to 30 years in prison.
According to investigators, Eberhart and Laymon traveled from Georgia to South Carolina on September 22, 2023, to vacation at the Wyndham Hotel in North Myrtle Beach. Laymon rented the room for a two-night stay and listed Eberhart as the only other occupant.
Surveillance footage showed the pair returning to the hotel around 1:56 a.m. on September 23, after a night out. Video captured the couple arguing inside the vehicle. At one point, Laymon opened the passenger side door while the vehicle was still moving.
Moments later, Laymon got out of the vehicle and took the elevator to the room she shared with Eberhart.
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Investigators say that was the last time she was seen alive.
Roughly 10 minutes later, Eberhart was seen entering the hotel room.
On September 24, hotel surveillance video showed Eberhart wearing a black hoodie and black gloves, rolling Laymon’s body out of the hotel and placing it in the truck of his vehicle.
Investigators later found blood in the trunk. DNA testing confirmed it belonged to Laymon.
Eberhart‘s cell phone records became a key piece of evidence. Between the time Laymon was last seen alive and when he was captured on surveillance moving her body, Eberhart sent Laymon text messages claiming he had not seen her since the previous night and would need a ride back to Georgia if she did not return with the vehicle.
Less than 12 hours later, surveillance footage showed him placing her body in the trunk.
Authorities say the Decatur man then drove back to Georgia and disposed of Laymon’s body. Her remains were discovered six months later.
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On November 8, 2023, Georgia detectives contacted North Myrtle Beach detectives about Laymon’s disappearance.
“The defendant in this case went to great lengths to cover up the murder of Ms. Laymon, but Detective McCarter, the North Myrtle Beach Police Department, and various Georgia Law Enforcement agencies left no stone unturned,” said Assistant Solicitor Anthony DiChiara. “We thank Law Enforcement for their relentless effort in bringing this defendant to justice.”