Deandre’ Antuan Nesbitt Cochran, 35, of Charleston County, South Carolina, was sentenced to 45 years in prison after a jury convicted him of murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, Solicitor Scarlett A. Wilson announced.
Cochran was found guilty in connection with the August 8, 2023, shooting death of Herman Prioleau in Hollywood. Deputies with the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office responded to Highway 162 and Storage Road around 5:20 p.m., where they discovered Prioleau deceased in the front passenger seat of a Nissan sedan.
Testimony revealed Cochran shot Prioleau from the back seat while the victim’s cousin drove. After the shooting, another passenger allegedly threw the firearm from a partially open window. Cochran ordered the cousin to stop the car, wiped down the door handle, and fled after turning off his phone.
Investigators identified a latent fingerprint in the vehicle, which led to the second witness, who confirmed Cochran as the shooter. Cochran was later located in Florida, serving a sentence on unrelated charges, and was transported back to Charleston County, where he has remained in custody since his arrest.
Solicitor Wilson credited cooperating witnesses for helping secure the conviction, emphasizing that their testimony was critical to resolving the case.
