Seventh Circuit Solicitor's Office - Spartanburg County

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Tamika Huston and her aunt,Rebkah Howard, pose for awedding photo.Hampton killed Tamika Hustonat the Fremont SchoolApartments on Magnolia Street.Police found Huston's two-doorHonda abandoned days aftershe was reported missing.The shining star of our family, Tamika, haddisappeared. Always the independent free spirit,it took us more than two weeks to realizethat she wasn’t simply on another spontaneousroad trip to visit friends or family as she oftenliked to do. Once it became painfully clearthat no one in our very large and extendedfamily had recently been in touch withTamika, panic set in and we made that firstdreadful call to local police. Still holding outhope that it was just a terrible misunderstandingand that Tamika would soon resurface withher bright smile and an amazing story to tell,the early weeks of the investigation became aharsh lesson in reality for us. Tamika’s beloveddog, Macy, being found alone and in conditionsher loyal owner would never have tolerated.Missing posters. An abandoned vehicle.The purple glow of chemicals emanating fromthe windows of Tamika’s small home onHarvard Drive as investigators searched forclues. It was all too surreal for our lives which,to date, had been largely unaffected by violentcrime or such enormous tragedy.However, our family did not let our grief andour fear paralyze us from taking action. Weimmediately used our individual skill sets toassist with the investigation to the best of ourabilities. My technologically savvy siblings setup websites in order to spread and collectinformation on the case. The most financiallymindedamong us spearheaded the efforts toraise reward money from family and friends. Ipersonally relied upon my expertise in publicrelations in order to garner local, regional andnational media attention for Tamika’s case.Tamika’s mother would muster up the courageto speak to reporters and plead for her onlydaughter’s safe return. Finally, my backgroundas a non-practicing attorney gave me a workingknowledge – albeit limited – on criminal lawand the justice system. We simply becameadvocates for Tamika when she no longer hadthe ability to fight for herself.These days, Tamika’s story is often rememberedmost for the national debate which was12Our lives forever changed during the summer of 2004.raised about the disparity with which mediacovers missing person cases involving minorities.It will forever be an important part of herlegacy. Yet, when asked what I think was thesingle most important element to the eventualdiscovery and conviction of Tamika’s killer,Christopher Hampton, I give the most creditto the outstanding and tireless work of theinvestigators, led by Lieutenant Steve Lamb ofthe Spartanburg Public Safety Department.Often times, frustration and slow progress withcriminal investigations can lead to a breakdownin communication and the developmentof a contentious relationship with police.Knowing this, our family tried to develop astrong working relationship with theDepartment. A lesson we learned early and onethat we intend to teach other families of themissing, through the work of The TamikaHuston Foundation for the Missing, is that itis important to become an ally of the investigatorscharged with solving your case. Likewise,when the investigation was clearly movingtowards the criminal prosecution stage, ourrelationship with 7th Circuit Solicitor TreyGowdy was equally as positive. The Solicitorand his staff kept us informed about all aspectsof the case, asked for our input with regard toimportant decisions, and most importantly,respected our opinions as family members ofthe victim.The pain of losing Tamika in such a senselessand brutal way will never subside. However,our family is all too familiar with the sheernumber of missing persons cases in this countrywhich will never be solved and the thousandsof families who will never receive justicefor their loved ones. In a sad way, we considerourselves among the fortunate ones, and wecertainly owe that, in part, to the men andwomen who were equally as committed tofighting for Tamika as we were.Rebkah M. Howard,Aunt of Tamika A. Huston,February 14, 2007
13Dana Satterfield was a mother, daughter, sister, a wife...and a friend to many people when her life wastaken. My family and many people at theSpartanburg County Sheriff’s Office never gaveup hope on trying to find her killer. After 10long years, a young man named Jonothan Vickwas captured and convicted of killing her. Hadit not been for the men and women whoworked long hours on this case, we would nothave a conviction today. The investigatorschased countless leads that were developedthrough various sources.Detective Rick Gregory and his wife, PamGregory, were inspirational throughout. Pam, avictim advocate, visited our home day andnight to offer words of encouragement. Rickhas also been a saint. He always made himselfavailable to answer our questions and relay anynew promising leads.The Gregorys were part of an amazing team ofinvestigators that worked our case. As timepassed, we witnessed the dedication and tirelesswork ethic of the Gregorys, Allan Wood, TomSmith, Richie Strawn, Sheriff Chuck Wrightand others.Our support network grew to include theSolicitor’s Office as the case progressed towardcourt. Solicitor Trey Gowdy met with us onmany occasions to discuss his preparationand the potential legal challenges ahead. Mr.Gowdy is supported by a team of wonderfulpeople. My family and I would like to thankBarry Barnette, Cindy Crick, Kelly Crook,Murray Glenn, Missy House, Cookie Peelerand Todd Wilson for their hard work andsupport. We couldn’t have made it withoutthem. My friends in law enforcement havehad a tremendous impact on me and myfamily. They are role models and greatsources of information if I ever needsomeone to talk with.The successful prosecution of Jonothan Vicknot only takes a load off our shoulders, it willhopefully allow everyone in the communityto rest easier knowing that he can not takeanother life.Now, with our life finally at peace, we can puteverything behind us and try to move on. Wepray every day that no one will ever have to gothrough the tragedy that we had to deal with,and we hope others like Jonothan Vick will beconvicted for what they have done. We knowthere are many families that are still searchingfor closure on unsolved homicides, and ourhearts are with you. We know exactly how itfeels to miss a loved one and live with theuncertainty of having the killer walking thestreets. Keep your faith. Our Sheriff’s Officeand the Solicitor’s Office are working to helpyou find closure.By: Ashley Satterfield
Page 1 and 2: Tamika HustonDana SatterfieldRememb
Page 3 and 4: 3Notes● 30 local mothers have com
Page 5 and 6: 5Front Row: Lauren Barnwell, Brooks
Page 7 and 8: 5Barnette receives 2006 Ernest F. H
Page 9 and 10: At our Cherokee County Law Enforcem
Page 11: o tragediesgood person who was kill
Page 15 and 16: James Grindle Jr., ofGastonia N.C.,
Page 17 and 18: 17The 7th Judicial Circuit Solicito
Page 19 and 20: How To Reach UsNAMEE-Mail AddressBa

Seventh Circuit Solicitor's Office - Spartanburg County

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