Charleston man sentenced after pleading guilty to murder of mother of seven

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – A judge on Wednesday sentenced a Charleston man who pleaded guilty to fatally shooting a woman in July 2021.

Denzel Laron Washington, 32, will spend 40 years behind bars, Judge Jennifer B. McCoy ruled.

The sentence followed Washington's guilty pleas to murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime in the July 11, 2021, killing of Toni Frasier, according to the Ninth Circuit Solicitor's Office.

“We are grateful to Judge McCoy for giving this offender a harsh sentence,” said Ninth Circuit Attorney Scarlett Wilson. “This is another life cut short by inexcusable gun violence.”

North Charleston police responded the day of the shooting to Roper Physicians Urgent Care, where Frasier had been admitted with a gunshot wound to the face, law firm spokeswoman Heather Speizman said.

Police investigators learned that the victim was shot at an address in the 5500 block of Blackwell Street by Washington, the father of Frasier's seven children, Speizman said.

One of the children told investigators that an argument between the two began earlier that morning at a home in North Charleston. They later arrived at the victim's home, where the argument continued, prosecutors said.

Surveillance footage taken at a neighbor's home showed the couple arguing in the front yard while the victim held a car between them, Speizman said.

“The video shows the defendant walking to his car on the street and the victim entering the house. It also showed the defendant getting a handgun from the car and then following the victim,” Speizman said. “The argument lasted several seconds before the defendant shot the victim as he ran across the yard. The defendant took the victim to Roper Urgent Care, but she was already dead.”

Washington's defense team asked for a sentence of 30 years, while the state asked for 45 years.

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