ROCK HILL MAN RECEIVES LIFE PRISON SENTENCE FOR BEATING DEATH

A Spartanburg County jury convicted a man of murder after they decided that he used a cinder block to beat a person to death.

Jonah Lowder, 25, of Rock Hill, received a life prison sentence at the conclusion of a three-day trial. Circuit Judge Derham Cole’s sentence doesn’t include a chance for parole.

Lowder killed Robert Allen Arthur, 51, of Pulaski, Ark., on Aug. 6, 2002. Spartanburg County sheriff’s deputies found the body about 2 a.m. when they responded to a report a “man down” near the intersection of Highway 221 and I-85. Arthur died as a result of massive head injuries. He was homeless at the time of his death.

Deputies identified Lowder as a suspect when they found his fingerprint on an empty cigarette pack that was left at the crime scene. Deputies identified Lowder by name when they compared the fingerprint with a national police database. Deputies also found a beer bottle on the roof of a near-by building that contained a partial print of Lowder’s palm and a small amount of the victim’s blood.

Deputies signed the murder warrant in December 2002 while Lowder was detained in a Florida jail on unrelated charge.

“Mr. Lowder brutally murdered Mr. Arthur and he received a penalty that he richly deserved,” Principal Deputy Solicitor Barry Barnette said.

Deputies worked with the FBI, The US Secret Service, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, the Bay County, Fla. Sheriff’s Office and the State Law Enforcement Division to develop the case.