By Noah Feit
The State
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A convicted killer will serve more time behind bars after he pleaded guilty of assaulting a prison guard with a cup of fecal matter on Monday, according to the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
Donald Harper Jr, a 35-year-old Richland County native, was sentenced to another 15 years behind bars for throwing bodily fluids on a correctional officer, the S.C. Department of Corrections said Wednesday in a news release. That’s the maximum sentence for the offense, according to the release.
Harper was already serving a 24-year prison sentence for the 2015 killing of Benedict College instructor Randall Brown, the S.C. Department of Corrections said. Harper was projected to be released from prison in 2036 following the manslaughter conviction, but now will have an extended stay as the new consecutive sentence will begin only after he finishes his current prison term, according to the release.
Prison assault
The assault of the prison guard happened Jan. 11 at McCormick Correctional Institution, the S.C. Department of Corrections said.
A guard was delivering meals to inmates inside Harper’s dorm, and when the officer handed Harper his dinner, the inmate threw a cup containing diarrhea directly into the officer’s face, according to the release. The fecal matter hit the guard in the eyes and mouth, and the officer required immediate medical treatment in addition to continued monitoring for potential infectious diseases, the S.C. Department of Corrections said.
Deadly shooting
On March 22, 2015 , Brown was found lying in the 5000 block of Brickyard Road where it was discovered that he’d been shot in the head, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. His vehicle also was missing, the sheriff’s department said.
Days later, Harper was arrested following a high-speed chase in Daytona Beach, Florida, where he drove Brown’s vehicle to celebrate spring break, The State previously reported. Harper was taken into custody and confessed to Daytona Beach police that he shot and killed Brown execution style a few days earlier in Richland County.
Criminal record
In addition to the manslaughter conviction connected to Brown’s death, Harper also pleaded guilty to pointing and presenting firearms at a person as well as armed robbery charges in 2019, Lee County court records show.
In 2008, Harper was convicted on a breach of peace charge, and in 2012 he pleaded guilty to one count of forgery, according to Richland County court records.
Because of Harper’s criminal history, and his extensive record of being disciplined while an S.C. Department of Corrections inmate, the solicitor’s office asked for the maximum sentence, and was obliged by Judge David Caraker, according to the release.
“This sends the message to all inmates who think they can assault our officers that South Carolina will not tolerate this kind of behavior,” S.C. Department of Corrections Director Joel Anderson said in the release. “I thank the solicitor’s office for prosecuting this case and the judge for the stiff sentence.”
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