Man sentenced to life in prison for killing mail carrier who refused to deliver package of marijuana

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A man was sentenced to life in prison Thursday afternoon after he was convicted of the murder of a U.S. postal worker in 2019 and robbery.

A second man was also sentenced to 25 years in prison for his role in the robbery.

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In a news release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of South Carolina said that Trevor Raekwon Seward, 25, was sentenced to life in prison with a 20-year consecutive sentence after he was convicted for the murder of a federal employee. He was also convicted of the use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, robbery, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute marijuana.

The attorney’s office said that Jerome Terrell Davis, 31, was also sentenced to 25 years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to robbery and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute marijuana.

It was 20 years for the robbery and five years for the marijuana conspiracy. The sentences are expected to be served together and once Davis is released, he will have a 3-year term of supervised release, according to WCSC.

The federal worker who was murdered was a woman named Irene Pressley, 64, according to The Associated Press. She was a mail carrier for the United States Postal Service.

When Seward went to check his mailbox, instead of a package he was expecting that contained 2 pounds of marijuana from California, he found a note. Seward confronted Pressley a few minutes later demanding to get his package. Court records obtained by the AP said that Pressley refused to get the package.

Prosecutors said that Seward went home and got a semi-automatic rifle and waited for Pressley to drive by, the AP reported. He allegedly fired about 20 times into the back of her mail truck with several of the bullets hitting her. The mail truck ended up in a ditch. Seward searched the mail truck looking for his package and other valuables before fleeing the area. Seward’s package was reportedly found on the street where the carrier was shot.

“Every member of our community deserves to live, work, and play without fearing for their lives,” said U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs in the news release. “These sentences will never replace the loss of Irene Pressley. But they represent the commitment of this office, and our law enforcement partners, to fighting violent crime, protecting federal workers, and keeping our communities safe.”

“No sentence can pay for the loss of a loved one, but we hope the justice served will bring some meaningful measure of closure to Irene Pressley’s family, friends, and colleagues,” said Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division in the news release. “The sentences issued show the strong determination of the US Postal Inspection Service to protect our employees and to work diligently to bring justice to criminals who assault or viciously attack them. We are grateful for the collaborative investigative work performed by our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”