The 11th Circuit Solicitor’s Office announced a 74-year sentence for a sex offender in connection to a Lexington County Home Invasion and Rape.

Tamar J. Nance, age 32, was sentenced to 74 years following his conviction for the home invasion and rape of a 74-year- old resident of a Harbison area apartment complex which occurred on June 23, 2021.

The trial began on Monday, Jan. 23 in Lexington County and the jury returned a guilty verdict on all counts on Friday, January 27. Nance was convicted of Burglary – 1st degree, Criminal Sexual Conduct – 1st degree, Kidnapping, and Financial Transaction Card (FTC) Theft. He was sentenced to 30 years on the burglary charge, 25 years on the criminal sexual conduct charge, 15 years on the kidnapping charge, and four years on the FTC theft charge. Circuit Court Judge Debra R. McCaslin specifically noted that the victim of this crime was 74 years of age, and ordered that Nance’s sentences run consecutively, resulting in an active sentence of 74 years. Nance is not eligible for parole.

The case was prosecuted by 11th Circuit Deputy Solicitor Suzanne Mayes and Assistant Solicitor Whitney Yongue Taylor. The investigation was conducted by the Columbia Police Department Special Victims Unit (SVU) and the SLED Special Victims Unit (SVU). “We appreciate the hard work and dedication of law enforcement during this investigation. These investigators worked long hours to solve this crime and bring Nance to justice,” said Deputy Solicitor Mayes.

The victim was awakened during the night by an intruder in the bedroom of her apartment on Crossbow Drive in the Harbison area of Lexington County. The intruder was wearing a mask while inside of the apartment and stole a bank card belonging to the victim. The assailant threatened the victim and warned her not to call the police.

The victim contacted a neighbor following the assault and a 911 call was placed at 6:08 am. The victim was transported to a nearby hospital for a sexual assault evidence collection kit. Columbia Police Department processed the crime scene for evidence. Video surveillance was obtained from nearby roadways which led to the identification of a white Chevy Malibu leaving the area of the victim’s neighborhood shortly after the assault.

Investigators from Columbia Police Department were able to develop Nance as a suspect after obtaining video surveillance from numerous businesses. Nance was confirmed to drive a white Chevy Malibu with the same unique markings as the vehicle seen in surveillance video. Forensic scientists at the S.C. Law Enforcement Division (SLED) were able to develop a DNA profile from evidence recovered during the victim’s sexual assault exam. The DNA profile from the victim’s sexual assault exam was determined to be a match to Nance, who had previously been entered into the SLED DNA database in 2012. Nance was arrested on July 5, 2021 in connection to this case.

Following his arrest, Nance’s cell phone was seized from his person. An extraction of the phone by Sgt. Mike Phipps of the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department revealed photographs that had been taken by Nance during the burglary of the victim’s apartment, including photos of personal identifying documents belonging to the victim.

The victim, now age 76, testified during the trial and addressed the court during the sentencing hearing. She spoke of the life-altering impact of these crimes and asked the judge for a sentence which would ensure that other women in the community remain protected. Law enforcement investigators also addressed the Court and commended the remarkable courage demonstrated by the victim in this case.

Nance has prior convictions for possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine in 2012 and financial transaction card fraud in 2017. Nance was previously convicted of trespassing in Richland County following a 2015 offense where he was charged with removing a screen window from an apartment unit where a 63 year old female resided. Nance currently has pending charges in Richland County for burglary, assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct, and kidnapping, which are alleged to have occurred in Columbia on January 12, 2021, five months before the crimes in Lexington County occurred.

Nance has been transported to the S.C. Department of Corrections where he will begin immediate service of the sentence.