A man was charged with five counts of murder Sunday in the slayings of a mother and her four children in a mobile home, authorities said.
Michael Simmons, 41, appeared at a bond hearing via video link from the Charleston County Jail on Sunday and was ordered held without bond.
Officers discovered the bodies, including that of a 6-year-old, at the home Saturday after responding to a call. According to an arrest affidavit, a witness saw the bodies in the home then called police. The affidavit said Simmons was captured as he tried to drive away from the scene.
The victims were shot with a handgun, the affidavit said. Police have not identified a motive.
Charleston County Coroner Rae Wooten identified the victims as Betra Rainey, 39, and her children William Rainey, 16, Hakiem Rainey, 13, Malachia Robinson, 8, and Samenia Robinson, 6.
Wooten said she was still completing autopsies and did not want to speculate on the time of death.
Suspect not the father
It was not immediately clear what Simmons’ relationship was to the victims but Wooten said he was not the father of any of the children. He apparently lived with the family and, during the bond hearing, gave an address that was the same was where the shootings took place.
The jail did not have any attorney information for Simmons.
“Words can’t express the impact this has had on our family,” said relative Gene Fanning at the bond hearing. “It’s a devastating loss. We want him held fully accountable for his actions.”
Family members would not comment as they left the bond hearing but said they planned to meet later with reporters.
Monique Singleton, who lives across the street, said four children lived in the home and her children occasionally played with them.
“They were nice people, they seemed fine,” she said.
The subdivision of about two dozen mobile homes sits in the shadow of Interstate 526 — one of the main highways around the Charleston area.