Man convicted in 2020 Beaufort County murder

BEAUFORT COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - A man was found guilty in a Beaufort County court Friday of murdering a security software engineer in an armed robbery attempt, according to the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

Devante Lamont White, 28, of Green Pond, was found guilty of the 2020 murder of Timothy George Milliken. He also was convicted of kidnapping and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

Beaufort County deputies responded to a home in Bluffton on Nov. 16, 2020, for a report of shots fired. When deputies arrived, they found Milliken in his home deceased from gunshot wounds.

Prosecutors say Devante went to the home that night to rob Milliken with co-defendants Sarah Faye Barr, Jamal Hassan Coakley Jr. and Malik Deon White.

Barr had been to the security software engineer’s home at least once before for a sexual liaison arranged by Devante, according to a news release.

Once the group arrived, Devante told Milliken he was under arrest for soliciting a prostitute. Coakley pointed a gun at the victim, who initially refused to let them inside his home, and Devante ordered Coakley to shoot him, a news release stated.

Coakley refused to shoot, and the gun was handed to Devante, who prosecutors say hit Milliken over the head with it, causing the gun to discharge.

Milliken then opened the rear door into his laundry room as if to let the group in, only to try and quickly shut the door behind him. It was during this moment Devante shot Milliken in the leg, severing one of his arteries, according to the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

Milliken bled to death on his laundry room floor with his dog at his side. Nothing was taken from his home.

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“To various degrees, the defendants, in this case, lived their lives as predators,” Trasi Campbell of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, who prosecuted the case, said. “Now they will live behind bars, and the community is a safer place as a result.”

White was sentenced to 40 years in prison for murder, 30 for kidnapping and five for possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

The sentences are to be served concurrently.

Malik, who is not related to Devante, and Barr pleaded guilty to attempted armed robbery. Malik was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Barr received a 10-year sentence, suspended to five years, plus five years of probation.

Coakley also pleaded guilty to an attempted armed robbery earlier this year. He will be sentenced at a later date.

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