The man accused of murdering a 21-year-old college senior in South Carolina early late last week was stopped in the same area in the early morning hours, the day after 21-year-old Samantha Josephson got into his car, reportedly mistaking if for an Uber.
Her body was found late the next afternoon. As CrimeOnline previously reported, Nathaniel David Rowland, 24, was arrested on Saturday and charged with kidnapping and murder.
Citing law enforcement sources, WKYT reports that Rowland was apprehended in the same nightlife district where he allegedly targeted the University of South Carolina student in the early hours of Friday morning, reportedly after she was separated from her friends. Authorities said at a news conference that Rowland activated the child locks in his vehicle so Josephson could not escape.
According to a CNN Wire report, Rowland had a female passenger in his Chevy Impala when officers pulled him over early Saturday morning. The woman is believed to be an acquaintance. The suspect tried to flee the scene on foot but officers caught up to him and brought him back to the vehicle, where they found the victim’s cell phone, along with blood in the car and in the trunk.
WKYT obtained an arrest warrant Sunday showing that Josephson had numerous wounds on her body, from her head to her feet, but the type of murder weapon used remains unknown.
Johanson was a New Jersey native, and her parents traveled to South Carolina for a vigil on Sunday, where her father Seymour Josephson spoke of his heartbreak.
“I can’t tell you how painful this is,” the grieving father said, according to NJ.com. “Samantha was by herself. She had absolutely no chance.”
Rowland is being held without bail and is due back in court on April 22.
