A year in review: 2023’s most-clicked stories on counton2.com

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Many stories based right here in the Lowcountry made national headlines in 2023 including the weeks-long double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh.

A Chinese spy balloon that captured the country’s attention was blown up right off the South Carolina coast. And in the spring, we learned the tragic story of a new bride killed on her wedding night when an intoxicated driver crashed into a golf cart on Folly Beach.

Other stories, like a missing F-35 jet, went viral following an interview with a man who claimed to hear the crashing plane near his Williamsburg County home.

And the Charleston area braced for two storms – Hurricane Idalia and a December coastal storm – both of which brought heavy rain and flooding to the area.

Here is a look at the top stories of 2023.

The Murdaugh Murder Trial

All eyes were on Colleton County for the start of the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial. A jury pool of over 100 people met at the Colleton County Courthouse on Jan. 25 for final selection — and then the trial was underway.

The trial dominated headlines throughout February. Witness testimony was interrupted on day 13 after the courthouse was evacuated when someone called in a bomb threat. Court officials said that the call came from an unknown number and claimed there was a bomb in Judge Clifton Newman’s chambers. Testimony resumed after the courthouse was cleared.

No threats or devices were found. But authorities said they were able to trace the call to Ridgeland Correctional Institute in Jasper County, and South Carolina Department of Corrections personnel located a cell phone in the possession of an inmate.

As the month went on, so did the trial — along with the many surprise moments like Murdaugh taking the witness stand in his defense. The testimony lasted for two days.

After jurors took a trip out to the Murdaugh family’s Colleton County property to view where the killings took place in early March, the trial wrapped with a guilty verdict and Murdaugh was sentenced to life in prison.

But the story didn’t end there. Months later, Murdaugh’s defense team called for a retrial, claiming that Colleton County Clerk of Court, Rebecca Hill, tampered with the jury.

That saga will continue into 2024.

January

The year began on a somber note after learning that a prominent Charleston-area attorney, David Aylor, was found dead at his downtown home on the second day of 2023. Aylor was known for giving back to the community in myriad ways and once served as assistant solicitor in the Ninth Circuit Solicitor’s Office for Charleston County.

Soon after, attention moved to Berkeley County where two bodies were discovered in Lake Moultrie. It was believed the men, 75 and 68, drowned while fishing in the lake.

February

In early February, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a ground stop at Charleston International Airport and other airports in the region after a Chinese spy balloon, that trekked across the country, was spotted over the Carolinas. The balloon was eventually shot down near Myrtle Beach.

The Republican-controlled South Carolina House voted overwhelmingly in mid-February to allow lawful firearm owners to carry handguns openly or concealed without a state permit.

Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley launched her bid for the White House from The Shed at the Visitor Center in downtown Charleston.

March

Law enforcement began warning residents in the Lowcountry and across the state about a dangerous new drug on the street known as a “tranq” or the “zombie drug”. Xylazine, a drug used as an animal sedative and pain reliever, was identified in multiple illicit drug seizures. It resulted in at least eight overdoses in the state.

April

Five people were shot during a so-called senior skip day after a fight broke out on the Isle of Palms beach. Hundreds of people were gathered on the beach before the shooting, and many were sent running for safety when shots were fired.

The shooting prompted many safety changes for the beach community and resulted in several arrests.

May

A new bride, still in her wedding dress, was killed after an allegedly intoxicated driver slammed into a golf cart that also carried the groom and members of the wedding party. The suspect — Jamie Komoroski — was accused of drinking at several businesses before the crash and driving at a high speed when she collided with the group. She remains booked at the Al Cannon Detention Center.

It was also announced in May that the North Charleston paper mill would close in August. The closure was expected to impact about 500 people who were employed at the facility. WestRock cited “high operating costs and the need for significant capital investment” as the driving factors behind the closure.

Multiple law enforcement agencies were involved in a manhunt for a wanted subject who kidnapped an elderly couple in Pennsylvania and dropped them off in North Charleston. The man, Michael Burham, evaded law enforcement in the Francis Marion National Forest for days before his eventual capture — thanks to a curious dog — in the Huger area.

And passengers about the Carnival Sunshine returned to port in Charleston after being stuck at sea during a Memorial Day weekend storm.

“The ship took a hit from a wave about 11:00 at night,” said one passenger from Myrtle Beach. “The wave hit on our side of the ship — we were on the right side of the ship — and that wave pushed the ship to the left where I thought we were going to capsize.”

The woman said her eleventh-floor cabin took on water from the balcony and recalled items crashing down around them as the ship was battered by strong winds and waves.

U.S. Senator Tim Scott kicked off his presidential campaign in his hometown of North Charleston at Charleston Southern University.

June

Nearly a dozen churches across the Lowcountry announced they would be separating from the United Methodist Church over a disagreement with the church’s stated doctrine.

The churches determined that they could no longer function as a UMC branch because of their beliefs that the denomination has not upheld its stated doctrine on issues of human sexuality: prohibiting performing same-gender weddings and the ordination of “self-avowed practicing homosexuals,” according to the UMC Book of Discipline.

And in entertainment news, the Netflix series Outer Banks began looking for extras as the fourth season began filming in the Charleston area. That production would later be halted amid a writer and actor strike in Hollywood.

July

A gruesome murder stunned the Colleton County community in early July. Agencies responded to a house fire on Folly Creek Lane in the Green Pond community after a neighbor reported seeing the home on fire. Several family members were found dead inside and a sole surviving victim led to the suspect’s capture.

Summerville officers were impeded by a community gate while responding to reports of a juvenile drowning. That child was ultimately found deceased in a retention pond.

August

The Lowcountry braced for impacts from Hurricane Idalia, which initially struck Florida’s west coast before making the trek across the state and swiping the South Carolina coast in August.

While the storm caused some damage and flooding, the biggest local story was that it spun up weak tornadoes across the tri-county area. One of those tornadoes flipped a car on US-52 in Goose Creek. A woman, who was pregnant, suffered minor injuries.

September

The big story in September was related to an F-35 that went missing after the pilot ejected over North Charleston in what Joint Base Charleston called a “mishap.” The aircraft was later found crashed in a wooded area of Williamsburg County.

A man who lived nearby and heard the aircraft crash delighted the internet after his interview with News 2’s Raymond Owens went viral. The man let out an unexpected, loud screech as he recreated the jet’s sound.

One person was killed after leading law enforcement in a chase that came to an end on the Wando River bridge. It was later revealed that the man shot himself on the bridge and suffered mental health issues.

Former President Donald Trump also visited the Lowcountry. He delivered remarks during a campaign event at Sportsman Boats in Summerville, greeted campaign staff in North Charleston, and toured Palmetto State Armory.

Later in the month, a man accused of shooting two people, led multiple law enforcement agencies in an hours-long manhunt on Johns Island. The man, Ernest Burbage III, shot and wounded a Charleston County deputy and killed a State Law Enforcement Division K-9. He was eventually killed by law enforcement after a standoff.

October

Lowcountry shrimpers expressed their concerns over being priced out because of imported shrimp.

A baby was also seriously injured after falling from a moving vehicle on I-26 near University Boulevard. The child’s arm was severed and reattached while at the Medical University of South Carolina.

And in an October surprise, video was shared with News 2 that showed an alligator who climbed 16 steps to a second-floor porch at a Folly Beach home.

November

North Charleston saw the election of its first new mayor in nearly 30 years during the November municipal elections. The city’s former police chief, Reggie Burgess, beat out several candidates to be the city’s new leader. Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg was ousted by William Cogswell in a runoff election.

An elderly couple was cited after mistakenly driving onto the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge‘s pedestrian lane. Officers learned the out-of-town driver unintentionally entered the walkway from East Bay Street while trying to follow directions from their navigation system.

December

A Nor’easter thumped the Charleston coast in mid-December, dumping heavy rain and causing significant flooding across the area. High water caused the USS Yorktown to shift six inches.

One person was killed in the Charleston area after her car was submerged on a flooded roadway in Mount Pleasant.

Carnival Sunshine passengers later returned to port only to discover their cars had flooded in a parking lot managed by the SC Port Authority.

After the Christmas holiday, a man was killed following a shootout with law enforcement on Dorchester Road. Officers responded to reports of someone firing gunshots near a gas station and the suspect eventually pointed and fired at officers, who returned fire. SLED is investigating the shooting, and 11 officers and deputies out of the North Charleston Police Department and Charleston County Sheriff’s Office were placed on leave, which is standard protocol for an officer-involved shooting.