The parents of a man charged with murdering a South Carolina student who got into the wrong car thinking it was her Uber insist their son is innocent and claim he was at a party at the time.
Nathaniel David Rowland, 24, is accused of kidnapping and murdering 21-year-old Samantha Josephson after she left a bar at 1.30am on Friday in Columbia, South Carolina.
Authorities say surveillance video captured Josephson getting into Rowland’s dark colored car outside the bar after she mistook it for her Uber.
Rowland allegedly then attacked the young woman with a sharp object and caused numerous wounds to her head, neck, face, upper body, leg, and foot.
Nathaniel David Rowland, 24, is accused of kidnapping and murdering 21-year-old Samantha Josephson after she left a bar at 1.30am on Friday in Columbia, South Carolina
Rowland’s parents Henry and Loretta Rowland said their son is a ‘good kid’ and insist there is no way he could have murdered Josephson
Her body was found dumped hours later in Clarendon County, which is about 65 miles from where she was last seen.
Rowland’s parents Henry and Loretta Rowland told WACH News that their son is a ‘good kid’ and insist there is no way he could have murdered Josephson.
‘There’s no way in the world that he could do this,’ Henry said.
Rowland’s father Henry said that even though he is poor he is working to find his son the best attorney
‘My heart goes out to the family because they lost a life. I feel so bad, but my son didn’t do it. The truth is going to come to light.’
His parents claim their son was at a party at the time Josephson was kidnapped.
‘He passed out, and from my understanding, it was 2:30 in the morning,’ Henry said.
‘He passed out, and when he finally woke up, he went to search for his keys. They weren’t in his pocket. So, he stepped outside to see if his car was there. His car was out there.
‘He opened the door and the keys were in the car. There was blood everywhere. That’s a s far as we know right now.
‘It’s going to come to light. Who did it, why they did it, and where they did it at.’
Police said Josephson’s blood and cellphone were found in his car when he was arrested.
The night after Josephson was kidnapped, a Columbia police officer noticed a black Chevrolet Impala about two blocks from the bar where Josephson was kidnapped.
The driver, Rowland, ran but was arrested after a short chase.
Investigators said there was a child safety seat in the back of the car and the child safety locks were enabled, meaning Josephson would have not been able to escape.
Surveillance video shows the fateful moment the 21-year-old mistook a car for the Uber she ordered outside a bar in Columbia, South Carolina, early Friday morning
Surveillance images released by the Columbia Police Department show Josephson wearing an orange shirt and black pants and talking on the phone seconds before she disappeared
Rowland’s parents said that even though they are poor they are working to find their son the best attorney.
‘Please don’t blame my son. If he did it, I’d be the first person to lock him up and throw away the key but he didn’t do it. There’s no way,’ Henry said.
‘I’m sorry it happened but I can’t afford to let my son serve time for something he didn’t do, or something he didn’t know about.’
Security footage from the area showed Josephson getting into the black Chevy Impala when she was leaving after a night out with a group of friends.
When Josephson’s actual Uber driver arrived moments later, the driver cancelled the ride when she didn’t show up for the pick-up.
Throughout the day on Friday, Josephson’s friends and family were unable to get in touch with her and an urgent search was launched.
Police said the suspect previously lived in the area where Josephson’s body was found.
Josephson’s parents said their daughter was due to graduate next month and move on to law school at Drexel University in Philadelphia.
Josephson’s parents said their daughter was due to graduate next month and move on to law school at Drexel University in Philadelphia
Her father attended a candlelight vigil for their daughter on Monday night, while her mother went to court for Rowland’s scheduled hearing.
The judge gave Marci Josephson a chance to speak even though Rowland opted not to appear.
‘There are no words to describe the immense pain, his actions have caused our family and friends. He’s taken away a piece of our heart, soul and life. Shame on him. We thought he would be here to see his evil face.
‘I can not fathom how someone could randomly select a person, a beautiful girl and steal her life away. His actions were senseless, vile and unacceptable. It sickens us to think that his face was the last thing that my baby girl saw on this earth.
‘His selfish, unspeakable and violent actions have created a hole in the universe.’
She described her daughter as bubbly and full of life and said she was due to graduate college in May and start law school in September.
The grieving mother urged the judge to deny bail for Rowland.
‘He should never be given the right to walk free again for what he did to my daughter, or given the opportunity to hurt anyone else,’ she said.