Man convicted in 2022 slaying of man found dead near Monetta
SALUDA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - Saluda County Sheriff Josh Price has announced the conviction of a man connected to the 2022 murder of Zonnie Cyrus Jr. in Monetta.
On Thursday, a Saluda County jury found Earl Valentine Jr. guilty of the crimes of murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, according to the sheriff’s office.
Judge Debra McCaslin sentenced Valentine to 55 years in prison with the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
This case was prosecuted by Deputy Solicitor Suzanne Mays and Assistant Solicitor Doug Fender.
“I’m proud of the hard work of the men and women of the sheriff’s office. This case took a lot of time and hard work to get justice for Mr. Cyrus. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Zonnie Cyrus,” Price said.
Valentine and Montavis Barnes were arrested in connection with the murder of Zonnie Cyrus.
The body of Cyrus, 22, was found on Nov. 19, 2022, on Hi-land Farm Road in Saluda County.
The Saluda County Coroner’s Office ruled the cause of death a homicide caused by numerous gunshot wounds.
Brittney Cyrus, Zonnie’s cousin, told us earlier the loss of her cousin was eating her up inside, but she was putting her faith and trust in God, hoping to get some answers.
“How could somebody do that to a human being, a child at that?” Brittney said. “He was only 22 years old. How can you do that to somebody? I mean, nobody in this world is perfect, nobody ain’t in this world that’s bright, and that’s going to have all the answers, but the way I look at it, it is hurting and it’s like I never thought in a million years that I would have to go through this.”
Brittney said Zonnie was a good person, always smiling, and willing to drop anything to help friends and family.
She added that he was very ionate about his job at Amick Farms.
“To me, I can’t say R.I.P. to my cousin yet until we got closure all the way,” Brittney said. “And I’m going take my shades off and I want you all to see what you all did to me, and how me and his brother, his daddy feeling. Like y’all really took somebody that I cared about the most and I stayed on top of him to try to keep him focused. I was proud of him.”
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