679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Missing USC student Samantha Josephson was found dead after last being seen getting into a vehicle Friday morning in Columbia, SC. She worked hard, was graduating college in may and starting law school in September.". Rowland maintained his innocence before being sentenced, with his attorneys pointing out that scientists werent certain his DNA was on the knife. In 2019, 21-year-old Samantha Josephson was . Rowland's phone moves back toward Columbia and the cell tower times coincide with bank footage showing him try to use Josephson's ATM card to withdraw money. He instead watched her phone travel the opposite direction. I was planning my trip to [the city of] Columbia in 2019 to watch my daughter graduate from college. Howard watched the news and heard about Josephsons disappearance. An award-winning journalist who has worked forRolling Stone and MTV News, Chris enjoys prog rock, cycling, Marvel movies, IPAs, and roller coasters. Activated child locks would have kept Josephson from opening the back door or rolling down her window once she discovered what happened. 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All rights reserved. No outright motive for the killing was suggested by prosecutors during the course of Rowland's trial but Judge Newman said the killer was "totally heartless". After Kraft yelled for Rowland to take his hand from his pocket, Rowland ran from the officer and was arrested a few blocks away. Kraft told Rowland he smelled marijuana and Rowland admitted to smoking earlier in the day. Josephson and her roommatesleft The Hub at Columbia, an off-campus student housing tower on Main Street, and drove together to a friend's house within walking distance to Five Points. He attended to his brother's dog that morning while his brother was out of town and later in the day watched the NCAA basketball tournament games. One aspect was unchallenged: The back seat of the Impala was the crime scene. Rowland is. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Chance of rain 40%.. Cloudy in the evening, then off and on rain showers after midnight. The couple went from just talking to a formal relationship during the spring of 2017. Josephson, who was a senior at the time of her. Its those intentional deliberate, heinous, cruel and malicious acts that Nathaniel David Rowland has been indicted for kidnapping Samantha Josephson. 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The actual Uber driver later testified that he waited for Samantha, but she never showed up. Cigarettes were passed around as friends chatted and leaned on each other after a night of drinking. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. After graduating, Samantha intended to enroll at the Thomas R. Kline School of Law at Drexel University in Philadelphia. She lost so much blood, that there was hardly any left in her body. Let's, therefore . Nathaniel Rowland, now 27, is accused of kidnapping and killing South Carolina student Samantha Josephson, 21, in March 2019. Prosecutors don't know for sure at what point after Josephson was taken that the attack began or when she died. In Columbia, Josephson and her roommates prepared for a typical Thursday night out during the spring semester at USC. A GoFundMe page was set up to raise money for the family, and nearly $50,000 was collected. The murder of Samantha Josephson, a student at University of South Carolina, in Columbia, South Carolina, occurred on March 29, 2019. Corbishley went to the gym and returned home about 11:30 p.m. Nathaniel Rowland has received a life sentence for . The 21-year-old New Jersey native was about to graduate from the University of South Carolina and was madly in love. 2023 Cable News Network. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Woman claims Uber driver complained and sighed about her wheelchair, Pregnant woman in Uber killing argues to be freed because fetus is innocent while video reveals fatal shooting, Lyft shares skid 35% over fears that Uber is speeding ahead, Outraged: NYC restaurants blast Grubhub over phony lobbying push. The 21-year-old USC student had mistakenly gotten into a car Rowland was driving in Columbia, South Carolina, thinking it was an Uber ride she had requested on March 29, 2019, authorities said. A jury unanimously found him guilty of Samantha's murder after an hour-long deliberation. Samantha Josephson was born to Seymour and Marci Josephson in August 1997 in Princeton, New Jersey. The day before, Howard returned from work and found Rowland scrubbing his Impala with bleach. She might have bled to death in as little as 10-20 minutes after those injuries, a pathologist who conducted her autopsy testified. She said she jokingly asked Rowland if he'd hit a dog with his car and then put the dying animal in the back seat. Provided, Nathaniel Rowland walks to the front of the courtroom to hear his sentencing by Judge Clifton Newman after a jury found him guilty on all counts in the slaying of Samantha Josephson on July 27, 2021. sfastenau@postandcourier.com. The shirt he was supposed to wash for Howard was still wet when he handed it over. Samanthas blood and her footprint were discovered by the detectives on his cars back window. Samantha Josephson was allegedly kidnapped and killed by a man she thought was her Uber driver in 2019 Credit: Columbia Police Department. The series, created Carolyn Wiger From Survivor 44 -CBS has debuted the 44th season of the renowned reality television series "Survivor" Diverse strangers attempt to survive in Contestant Carson Garrett From Survivor 44 -Since its launch in 2000, the CBS reality competition series 'Survivor,' developed by Charlie Parsons, has been a Where is Kevin Roby Now? She was never seen alive again. High 74F. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Nathaniel Rowland has received a life sentence for the abduction and killing of a South Carolina college student who mistook his car for her Uber ride, Samantha Josephson had been on a night out with friends before she was murdered, Chilling moment student, 21, gets into car she thought was Uber hours before being found dead, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). I close my eyes, and I feel what she endured at his hands.. But the family was there in Columbia, anyway, and they also attended a vigil at USC later, letting anyone who listened know that they weren't going to let what happened to Samantha happen to anybody else. Josephsons DNA was also collected from Rowlands fingernails. Josephson, 21, was seen leaving a bar in Columbia, S.C., in the early morning hours of March 29, 2019. The McDonald's visor she had left in his back window was gone. Columbia, SC 29204, News tips/online questions: webteam@postandcourier.com, Subscription questions: subserve@postandcourier.com, var html = new Date().getFullYear(); He had his eyes on Ms. Josephson as she walked outside the Bird Dog Lounge in Five Points alone, as she walked outside, as she had ordered an Uber ride, alone.. Stephen Fastenau is a local government reporter covering the City of Columbia, Richland County and general assignments. Winds light and variable. Samantha Josephson summoned an Uber after being separated from her roommates during a night out in Columbia at about 2 a.m. on Friday, March 29, 2019, Columbia Police said. Her impending graduation was being celebrated by the group. When he arrived after midnight into March 30, Josephson's roommates were already there. The case made national news two years ago, and led Uber to require drivers to prominently display ID and say the names of passengers before they travel. While she was driving the Impala, Rowland sat in the passenger seat with blue gloves and cleaned the car with the wipes and at one point scrubbed a multitool. The evidence is so substantial in this case pointing to your guilt, and I emphasize it and reemphasize it because of the horrific and most brutal nature this crime. She was stabbed120 times. But he said Samanthas phone went dead in Rosewood, South Carolina. The ride-share industry has also implemented changes, like clearer displays of driver license plates, following Josephson's death. Samantha Josephson was separated at some point during the night from her friends in a heavily trafficked area of town. Her boyfriend later stated he spoke to her on the night she disappeared and tracked her to ensure she got home. Then, some Nathaniel-owned clothes were discovered to contain Samanthas blood. At the time of the incident, she was just weeks away from graduation. New Jersey native Samantha Josephson, 21, was killed by Nathaniel Rowland after she mistakenly got into his car after a night of drinking in Columbia in 2019, prosecutors told the jury, according to NBC News. Nathaniel Rowland, 27, was also found guilty of kidnapping and possession of a weapon during a violent crime in the killing of Samantha Josephson, a University of South Carolina student. Beaver also noted Josephson lost a lot of blood in the fatal attack, making it hard for medical examiners to collect a sample from her body. The group returned to Rosewood and looked for a black car like the one they'd seen in the video and talked to multiple families. A phone was pressed to her ear, and one arm tucked across her chest during the unseasonably chilly evening on March 29, 2019. They returned home without some of Howard's clothes being washed, including her uniform shirt for work. In 2019, 21-year-old Samantha Josephson was just weeks away from graduating college at University of South Carolina. Samanthas roommates first began to worry when they couldnt reach her the following morning. The car also contained Samanthas cell phone and a large amount of blood was also discovered on the backseat. At the time of the incident, she was just weeks away from graduation. Nathaniel said in court, For whoever asked me for leniency, thats not part of my DNA. In addition to murder, Rowland was also convicted of kidnapping, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. The police then started looking for the vehicle that was seen on the security camera. Soon after, the car pulled out and picked up Josephson. A Warner Bros. Setting: Columbia, South Carolina, United States . ", "If there's somebody else in the car, she actually has a chance.". Words cannot express the anguish our family and friends have endured since you kidnapped and brutally murdered Samantha, said Josephsons mother, Marci Josephson. Shortly after the conviction, Judge Clifton Newman called Rowland "heartless" and sentenced him to life in prison, adding that the decision for him was "easy. That night, Rowland left Howards apartment with friends. Josephson was stabbed more than 100 times, the wounds on the right side of her body as she seemed to shield her left side. Rowland looked "shook" when he opened the door, Howard testified, as if he had seen a ghost. A co-worker gave Howard a ride home that afternoon when Rowland didnt pick her up. Her bare feet kicking and fighting for her life. Everything, she had seen Rowland say and do that day finally made sense. Rowland used the child-lock to trap Josephson. Asked by news reporters what Rowland's motive might have been, top prosecutor Byron Gipson said: "It was absolutely a random act of violence. Again, Rowland told her to mind her business. Young people formed a line along the wall outside the Bird Dog bar in Columbia's Five Points. entered his car by mistake believing it was her Uber ride. The documentary "See No Evil: Rideshare Nightmare" on Investigation Discovery details how the police used security camera footage and other proof to identify and apprehend Samantha's killer. The brutal murder changed the way people approach safety on ride-share apps, with it now common to check the license plate of your Uber or Lyft, and expect drivers to say the prospective passengers name. At USC, Samantha was majoring in political science, according to her obituary. The New Jersey native was later found dead by hunters in a remote area of Clarendon County about 65 miles away from where police believe she got into a black Chevy Impala driven by Rowland, thinking it was her ride home. That only angered Judge Clifton Newman, who cited the overwhelming video evidence. The death of South Carolina student Samantha Josephson, who mistook her alleged killer for an Uber driver, has turned a national spotlight on ride-hailing safety and led to some changes,. South Carolina's last execution tookplace in 2011 and there are currently 37 men on death row. John A. Carlos II/Special to The Post and Courier, Prosecutor Daniel Goldberg holds a multitool investigators believe was used to kill Samantha Josephson as he makes his closing argument in the murder trial for Nathaniel Rowland on July 27, 2021. State politicians in South Carolina were moved to action by her tragedy, and shortly after she was killed, they approved a law requiring all ride-share vehicles to show an illuminated sign with the name of their firm. Reach Stephen Fastenau at 803-365-3235. Another knife strike broke a bone in her neck typically associated with someone being strangled. Corbishley received a call that night to meet Josephson's parents at the police station. 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She had planned to go to the Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law in Philadelphia upon her graduation. It was an emotional day in court as the man convicted of killing a college student who mistook his car for her Uber was sentenced to life in prison. Rowland was supposed to wash the shirt at his sister's house in the Rosewood area and return it before Howard began her next shift at McDonalds the next morning. The young woman's name is Samantha Josephson'was discovered dead many kilometers from where she was last seen hours later. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Soon after that, he was sentenced to life in prison. Furthermore, the child lock was activated, making it difficult for someone to open the door from inside. Samantha Josephson, from Robinsville, New Jersey, was a student at the University of South Carolina where she majored in political science. And at the appropriate time, well ask that you return verdicts on guilty on each one of those counts.. A double-bladed knife was also discovered by the police in the trash outside his girlfriends house, along with cleaning materials in the car. Corbishley watched on an app used to share locations wanting to ensure Josephson returned home safely from the bar. Since you only have one life, that sentence must be served for the remaining days of your natural life, Newman said. He told the court: "I have dealt with the heartless and you fall into that category, without any remorse whatsoever. Jurors have convicted Nathaniel Rowland of murdering Samantha Josephson, the New Jersey woman and University of South Carolina student who entered his car in late March of 2019, mistaking it. - The pain of losing Samantha Josephson leaves an indelible hole in the hearts of her family as hundreds of people gathered Wednesday to mourn the 21-year-old who was killed after getting into. The violence happened after she mistakenly entered a black car early Friday that she thought was her Uber ride. Its not on her ankles.. Samantha had over a hundred stab wounds on her face, head, neck, upper body, leg, and foot. The Killer Cases episode will air on Wednesday night at 10pm, the episode is titled Murder in a College Town. Hospitality Opportunities in Food Services, Housekeeping And Others! They were called into a conference room where Josephson's mother and father were, looking distraught. 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