Ex-boyfriend out on bail kills woman minutes after she shared a video on Snapchat of him stalking her as she parked next to a police car out of fear

A 24-year-old white man from South Carolina was sentenced to 60 years in prison after being found guilty of murder within the 2021 ambush shooting death of his Black ex-girlfriend.

Justin Cole Carroll was sent back to custody by Judge Robert Bonds after a Colleton County jury convicted him of killing Donasia Alexus Holloway greater than three years ago within the parking zone of her residence in Walterboro, about 50 miles west of Charleston.

The April 24 verdict brought an end to a tragic tale of domestic violence that had unfolded over several years, culminating in Holloway’s senseless murder and the following trial that brought justice to Carroll.

Prosecutors said Carroll became furious when Holloway broke up with him after just a few months together because of his aggressiveness.

“Donasia was trying to end this toxic relationship and protect herself from her ex-boyfriend’s jealous rage,” said U.S. Attorney Hunter Swanson of the 14th Circuit, who prosecuted the case. “But Justin Carroll didn’t take no for an answer. He ignored the no-contact order, stalked her and killed her.”

Holloway ended her relationship with Carroll in January 2021 after Carroll was arrested for beating her, which led to domestic assault charges.

Five months later, on May 22, 2021, Carroll was out on bail when he reappeared on the Forest Point apartment complex where the woman lived and waited for Holloway to return home.

After pulling into the parking zone around 10 p.m., Holloway immediately spotted Carroll’s truck, prompting her to close the doors and park next to a Walterboro Police cruiser owned by a neighbor within the complex.

However, this small defensive move didn’t deter Carroll, who was now on foot and heading towards Holloway’s silver Lexus.

Not knowing what to expect, Holloway made the split decision to start recording herself live on Snapchat, which later revealed Carroll coming up from behind.

“She followed me to my apartment, I saw him behind me and locked herself in the car,” Holloway reportedly wrote on Snapchat in the ultimate minutes of her life. “I have asked him many times to leave me alone, trying not to feed him, but it has to stop!”

Carroll’s presence on the complex also violated a court order to steer clear of Holloway, who was now alone inside his reach, and he turned to social media relatively than calling police for help.

By the time authorities arrived, it was too late.

The officer Holloway’s patrol car was parked next to ran outside and discovered that a woman had been shot within the front seat.

Holloway was shot 4 times with a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson pistol, with fatal wounds to her head and neck.

The shooter fired through the car windows, which couldn’t protect Holloway.

Carroll fled the scene, but police caught up with him inside hours of the shooting.

That same night, Carroll’s truck was spotted at a traffic light, where police stopped him and checked his hands for gunshot residue.

Due to the domestic violence case, Carroll immediately became the prime suspect within the murder, and police soon questioned him in reference to the shooting, but Carroll denied any involvement after which ended the interrogation by asking for a lawyer.

At the time, police lacked the murder weapon or another physical evidence to hold Carroll, and he was released from custody, although he was not released as a suspect.

Two days later, investigators discovered a terrifying video recorded on social media by Holloway, by which Carroll was clearly visible within the background.

The apartment complex’s surveillance also captured Carroll approaching the woman’s car.

Several witnesses told police they saw a man running to his pickup truck and running away moments after they heard gunshots, prosecutors said.

It is price noting that Carroll had a head full of hair within the surveillance footage, but when he was arrested a few hours later, his entire head and face were clean shaven.

The footage, together with evidence of gunshot residue on Carroll’s hands and his attempt to erase his phone and alter his appearance, ultimately led to his arrest.

The video Holloway posted on Snapchat played a key role in Carroll’s conviction.

It is unclear whether Holloway was ever aware of Carroll’s troubled past.

Four years before meeting Holloway, Carroll was found guilty of first-degree assault and battery in 2016 and sentenced to eight years of probation. However, Carroll had his probation revoked following arrests for illegally carrying a pistol and possession of a controlled substance.

He served three years in prison before being released in 2020 and started dating Holloway.

Holloway’s mother said she received no consolation after Carroll’s conviction, which is able to never make up for the loss of her daughter.

“There should be tougher punishment for people who do this. They need to stay in jail, stay in jail because they are only hurting other families” – Shameka Holloway he told WCSC. “If he had stayed in prison, our daughter would be here today.”

She said her family is devastated by Holloway’s murder, while criticizing the U.S. justice system for failing to protect the general public from dangerous ex-convicts like Carroll.

“It’s so sad that (we knew) how this system worked. It’s terrible, they have to do better,” Shameka Holloway told the station. “We have a life sentence of heartache and pain that we will carry for the rest of our lives.”