Nathaniel Rowland sentenced to life in prison after murdering college student

South Carolina man, Nathaniel Rowland, was tried and sentenced to life in prison for abducting and murdering 21-year-old Samantha Josephson. As reported by CBS News, Josephson, a University of South Carolina student, disappeared from Columbia’s Five Points entertainment district in March 2019.

Josephson got into Rowland’s car after mistaking it for her Uber ride that was supposed to take her to her apartment. Investigators state that Josephson was trapped in Rowland’s car due to the childproof locks and never seen alive again. 

Investigators also state that Josephson had around 120 stab wounds and her body was found in remote woods 65 miles from Columbia. 

Rowland maintained his innocence, but the jury took a little more than an hour to deliberate. Rowland’s lawyer asked for charges to be thrown out, claiming that prosecutors had a circumstantial case. However, the judge rejected the request and stated that the jury should consider all direct and circumstantial evidence against Rowland.

Rowland will face life in prison and will not be eligible for parole. A person convicted of life in prison in South Carolina is not eligible for parole. 

Josephson was a college senior and expected to attend law school on a full scholarship. During the trial, Josephson’s mother spoke of her daughter. “Her dreams were my dreams, and her death was my death. I close my eyes, and I feel what she endured at his hands,” says Marci Josephson, the victim’s mother.