Andrews man convicted in 2019 killing of postal carrier

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - An Andrews man faces a life sentence after a jury convicted him on five charges connected with the shooting death of a mail carrier in Williamsburg County.

Trevor Reakwon Seward, 25, was charged with murder of a federal employee in the course of her duties, use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and conspiracty to posess with intent to distribute and to distribute marijuana, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Prosecutors told the jury that on Sept. 23, 2019, Seward was anticipating the delivery of two pounds of marijuana that had been shipped from California. Rather than deliver the package to Seward’s residence in Andrews, mail carrier Irene Pressley placed a form in Seward’s mailbox stating the authorized recipient would need to come to the post office to claim the package, they said.

After Seward confronted Pressley minutes later and failed to get the marijuana package, he returned his home and retrieved an AR-15 in search of Pressley, prosecutors said.

“Approximately one hour after she had left the form in Seward’s mailbox, Pressley was driving down Senate Road in Andrews when Seward fired approximately twenty rounds of from his AR-15 into the back of Pressley’s vehicle, striking her multiple times,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Brook Andrews said.

Prosecutors said Seward then got into Pressley’s vehicle and drove approximately three miles away, where he left Pressley and her vehicle in a ditch on an access road to a hunt club.

“While on the access road, Seward removed mail from Pressley’s vehicle and searched through packages for the package intended for his residence or any other items of value,” Andrews said. “The package of marijuana that had been shipped to Seward’s residence was later found on Senate Road where Pressley had been shot by Seward.”

Seward faces a mandatory penalty of life imprisonment for the murder of Pressley. Seward also faces up to life imprisonment for the use of firearm in furtherance of Pressley’s murder; up to twenty years imprisonment for the robbery of Pressley; up to ten years for illegal possession of a firearm; and up to five years imprisonment for the marijuana conspiracy conviction.

U.S. District Judge Donald Coggins will hand down a sentence after receiving a pre-sentencing report being prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

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