06/08/2026
Swansea Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder
Joey Len Inabinet, Jr., a 31-year-old Swansea man, was convicted on Friday, May 22, 2026, by a Lexington County jury for the Murder of Robert Todd Bailey and the Attempted Murder of another individual. Circuit Court Judge Walton J. McLeod, IV, presided over the week-long jury trial that began on Monday, May 18, 2026, and sentenced Inabinet to Life Imprisonment on the Murder charge and a concurrent thirty (30) year sentence on the Attempted Murder. Under South Carolina law, murder and attempted murder are classified as violent, most serious offenses. The life sentence for the murder must be served day-for-day.
Senior Assistant Solicitor Sutania A. Fuller, Senior Assistant Solicitor Robby McNair, and Assistant Solicitor Melissa Moon handled the prosecution of this case. The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department conducted the investigation with assistance from the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department.
On June 25, 2024, Inabinet shot and killed Robert Todd Bailey (“Todd”) and seriously injured another person on Todd’s property on Calvary Church Road in the Swansea area of Lexington County at approximately 5:13 a.m. Todd’s property was heavily wooded and multiple people lived there. Evidence presented at trial established that Inabinet and Todd had prior difficulties. It was believed that Inabinet had a problem with Todd and a third individual who reported to Inabinet’s father that Inabinet was trying to sell a riding lawnmower without his father’s permission. On June 23, 2024, two days prior to the shooting, Inabinet removed his ankle monitor that morning and later that night assaulted Todd and this third individual. The jury heard testimony that Todd was recovering from the assault injuries at the time of his death, including a black eye. This third individual was not on the property at the time of the shooting. There was no indication that Inabinet had any difficulties with the surviving victim.
The jury also heard testimony, listened to the 911 call, and watched body camera clips that established that the shooter was driving a pickup truck and that the shooter was Inabinet. The jury also heard from the surviving victim who also lived on the property. He described that he was with Todd and they were about to drink coffee and talk at an outside table. He described going inside to get the coffee and when he came back out the shooting started. He further testified that although it was dark he knew the shooter was driving a pickup truck and that the walk and body size matched Inabinet’s. He also testified that he heard Todd say “no Jo-Jo” during the shooting. The surviving victim further described that he was shot twice in the face and attempted to hide from the shooter. He saw the shooter walk to the pickup truck and walk back toward him shining a bright LED flashlight with a distinctive sequence pattern. Inabinet shined his flashlight on the surviving victim and shot again, striking him in the back. The surviving victim then ran away making it to the main road where he was helped. Todd was pronounced dead on scene.
Evidence presented during the trial established that Inabinet was driving his father’s white Toyota Tacoma at the time of the shooting, which he took without permission. Inabinet was detained by Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department with the Tacoma and a boat attached at approximately 11:40 a.m. on June 25, 2024. The jury saw a video of Inabinet taking the boat after the shooting from a local business in Chapin establishing that he was the person driving the vehicle.
Officers obtained a search warrant for the Tacoma and located a LED flashlight under the driver’s seat that was still on. During the searches of the vehicle, .22 caliber ammunition was recovered. Inabinet’s clothes were seized at the time of arrest, and an unfired .22 caliber cartridge was in the front pocket of his jeans. Law enforcement also recovered a fired .22 caliber cartridge casing at Inabinet’s residence. Expert testimony at trial matched a .22 caliber cartridge casing at the scene with the .22 caliber cartridge casing from Inabinet’s residence. At autopsy, the pathologist recovered a small caliber projectile that was determined to be a .22. The murder weapon in this case was never recovered; however, the jury saw photographs and a video of Inabinet with a .22 caliber pistol taken the week before the shooting.
The jury heard recorded calls in which Inabinet confessed to the shooting, including one call where he stated that he was at the end of his “running spree.” The jury also heard Inabinet tell a caller that “sh*t happened and I did what I did.”
During closing arguments, the prosecutor showed the jury that the flashlight still worked and demonstrated for the jury the distinctive sequence pattern described by the surviving victim.
Senior Assistant Solicitors Fuller and McNair and Assistant Solicitor Moon commented that “senseless acts of violence often defy rational explanation but have devastating and irreversible impacts on the victims, their families, and our community.” Inabinet has a significant criminal history with prior convictions for domestic violence, failure to stop for blue lights, drugs, burglary, and multiple probation violations. Inabinet has been transported to the South Carolina Department of Corrections to begin his sentence.
