GREENWOOD, S.C.; October 22, 2024 – A Ware Shoals man was sentenced to 34 years in prison after pleading guilty to shooting and killing his neighbor, 8th Circuit Solicitor David M. Stumbo announced Wednesday.
Justin Rawlins Moody, 43, pleaded guilty as charged to murder in advance of his upcoming Monday trial date in Greenwood and threw himself upon the mercy of the Court. Circuit Judge Frank R. Addy Jr. then sentenced Moody to 34 years in prison. The plea was accepted and the sentence handed down with no negotiation from the state. Under South Carolina law, a sentence for murder must be within the range of thirty years to life in prison and served day-for-day, meaning Moody will not be eligible for parole.
In May 2023, deputies responded to the Ware Shoals home of 48-year-old Oscar Rubio after Rubio’s girlfriend found him dead in the living room of his home and called 911. Deputies found Rubio dead from a severe gunshot wound to the head and two gunshot wounds to the chest. The responding deputies also found blood all over the porch and front yard, and it appeared that someone had dragged Rubio’s body inside the house after he had been shot. Multiple witnesses told investigators that Rubio had recently had an issue with his neighbor, later identified as Moody.
Greenwood County investigators then went to Moody’s house, located next door to the victim, and tried for an extended period of time to get Moody to the door. It was not until a deputy who knew Moody personally arrived that he came to the door and said he had been sleeping. Deputies noted that he did not appear to have been asleep, and all the lights were on in the house. Deputies observed a pair of pants folded over a kitchen chair that had blood spatter on them.
When investigators questioned Moody, he denied involvement but knew an extraordinary level of detail about the crime scene. When deputies pressed him on the issue, he claimed to be God and could hear the thoughts of other people. Deputies located the murder weapon in a bedroom in Moody’s home as well as boots that matched a distinct footprint at the victim’s home. Written on a funeral pamphlet on Moody’s kitchen table were the words “RIP Oscar” and “you should love your neighbor.” Witnesses indicated that the victim had in the past loaned Moody money. Deputies located some items that belonged to the victim, including several thousand dollars in cash and the keys to the victim’s vehicle, inside a duffel bag in Moody’s home.
Deputy Solicitor Yates Brown and Senior Assistant Solicitor Wade Dowtin prepared the case for trial, with assistance from 8th Circuit Investigator Windy Chappell and 8th Circuit Victim Advocate Rhetta Smith.
Solicitor Stumbo praised the work of his staff along with the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office and Ware Shoals Police Department in securing the conviction and prison sentence.
“This is an absolutely senseless act of violence,” Solicitor Stumbo said. “I cannot say enough about the excellent work done by the law enforcement investigators and our prosecutors to put Justin Moody behind bars for essentially the rest of his life. My hope and prayer is that Mr. Rubio’s family can begin to gain some closure and truly grieve his loss with the court case now behind them.”