Release from Rhonda Robinson- 11th Circuit Solicitor’s Office

ALABAMA MAN CONVICTED OF MURDER, ATTEMPTED MURDER, BURGLARY AND POSSESSION OF A WEAPON

After a four day trial, a Lexington County jury returned guilty verdicts in a murder case.

Justin Antonio Butler, AKA Jona McCoy, 24, of Muscle Shoals, Ala., was convicted for the murder of Tycus M. Toland, 29, of North. He was also convicted of the attempted murder of VonKeith Toland, 35, of Pelion, first degree burglary, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

Deputy Solicitor Shawn Graham and Assistant Solicitor Robby McNair, prosecuted the case on behalf of Solicitor Donnie Myers

Judge Knox McMahon imposed a sentence of 55 years. Testimony revealed that in the days prior to the April 26, 2014, Butler contacted VonKeith Toland about purchasing a used car. On April 24, 2014, Butler then travelled from his home in Muscle Shoals to Atlanta where he met up with co-defendant, Terry McClure of Fairfield, California. Butler and McClure then used a rental car to travel to the Greenwood area of South Carolina where according to cell phone records, they stayed on April 24th and 25th. On April 26, 2014, Butler and McClure then met up with the Toland Brother’s and followed them to VonKieth Toland’s residence in the Pelion area of Lexington County.

According to the testimony of VonKeith Toland, while they were all standing around the vehicle, Butler stated he was interesting in buying, McClure suddenly pulled a gun and shot Tycus Toland in the back of the head without warning, killing him instantly.

McClure then turned the gun on VonKeith Toland and shot him multiple times. Butler, who also had a gun, then broke into VonKeith Toland’s residence with McClure, ransacking the house, and taking the security system DVR before they left. Butler and McClure then fled returning to Alabama and California. NEWS RELEASE 205 E. Main St., 3rd Floor from Lexington, SC29072

After being shot, VonKeith Toland was able to drag himself under his residence as the defendants were inside and hide until they left. He then drug himself to his car and dialed 911. After spending several weeks in the hospital in critical condition, he survived and was able to identify both Butler and McClure in photo line-ups. The jury also considered numerous phone records that the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department obtained during their investigation.

Records were obtained for the number that the person ultimately identified as Butler had used to call VonKeith Toland. Those records reflected that the phone Butler used was a prepaid burner phone purchased in Muscle Shoals about a month prior to the shooting and used sparingly until the days prior to the shooting. The first outgoing calls and texts from that phone were to another prepaid burner phone linked to McClure, and to a prepaid burner phone linked to an unknown individual in the Greenwood area. Phone records showed that Butler was texted from the unknown Greenwood individual and asked if he needed a “Hamma to fix it or nah.” Butler’s reply was, “Most likely.”

Expert testimony opined that the word “Hamma” was street language for a handgun. Butler, who had previously told law enforcement that he had never been to South Carolina and knew nothing about the incident, testified in his own defense. On the stand, Butler admitted that he was present with McClure at VonKeith Toland’s residence,but that he was in the rental vehicle on his phone when he heard multiple gun shots and didn’t see anything that transpired.

He also testified that when McClure returned to the car, he didn’t ask McClure anything about what had happened.Butler also has a pending murder charge in Alabama. McClure is currently being extradited from California.