Final co-defendant pleads guilty in murder of Summerville teen in 2023 shooting

DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) — The final of four co-defendants has entered a guilty plea in the deadly 2023 shooting of a teenage girl.

Marsha Buck, 23, of Ladson, pleaded guilty last week to misprision of a felony, First Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe said.

The investigation found she had prior knowledge of the murder, allowed the other co-defendants to use her vehicle and allowed the three involved to stay overnight at her house afterward. She was sentenced under the Youthful Offender Act and placed on probation.

The incident stemmed from a shooting that left 14-year-old Mariyah Ezell dead after she was lured to Timothy Lane by a group of people she believed were her friends. Pascoe said she was shot multiple times.

Sabin Buck, 22, of Ladson, pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact to murder and to obstruction of justice and was sentenced to 15 years in prison followed by a period of probation in January. The investigation revealed that he discarded the murder weapon in a retention pond in a Ladson neighborhood and took additional steps to conceal evidence.

Bailey Taylor, 20, of Summerville, who was a friend of Ezell, pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to 35 years in prison in June 2025. She drove Buck’s vehicle to the scene and lured Ezell to her death by inviting her to ride with them.

Drayton Smalls, 21, of Summerville, pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to 50 years in prison in June 2025. He exited the vehicle, led Ezell behind a building, shot her and left her body on the side of the road.

The case was prosecuted by the First Circuit Solicitor’s Office.