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INDEPENDENTMAIL.com PICKENS, SOUTH CAROLINA Investigators said Thursday that Jerry Dean Crenshaw left evidence showing that he had planned well in advance to gun down Pickens attorney John Redmond Coyle and commit suicide. Coyle was killed Wednesday outside his law office in Pickens. Pickens Police Chief Tommy Ellenburg said a handwritten note found in Crenshaw’s vehicle outlined his intent to kill Coyle, and evidence taken from Crenshaw’s home at 420 Martin School Road in Pickens showed he intended to follow up by killing himself. Ellenburg declined to elaborate on details in the note or on the nature of the evidence, saying only that the investigation was continuing. The chief did say that indications pointed to the 61-year-old Crenshaw being upset over the settlement of a divorce in which Coyle represented Crenshaw’s former wife. A contempt of court citation related to the case had been filed against Crenshaw on Wednesday, Ellenburg confirmed, but he was unsure whether that had a part in Crenshaw’s decision. “We just don’t know if that’s what pushed him over the edge,” the chief said. Ellenburg said Crenshaw had apparently waited in his vehicle within sight of the rear of Coyle’s office at 303 E. Main St. in Pickens, where the 61-year-old victim was expected to exit into the parking lot. A combination of Ellenburg’s comments and the official incident report outline the unfolding of events that resulted in the deaths of both Coyle and Crenshaw. Pickens police officers wentto the parking lot in the rear of 303 E. Main St. about 5 p.m. Wednesday in response to a report from Pickens police Sgt. Patrick Sandor that Coyle had been shot. Sandor was off duty, out of uniform and without a weapon. He had also been waiting in the parking lot to pick up his wife from work, according to reports. The officers found Coyle lying face down near the back steps of his office. He was not breathing. Ellenburg said Thursday that Coyle had been shot multiple times. The officers reported that Coyle’s wife and daughter witnessed the shooting. Ellenburg declined to confirm reports that a 4-year-old granddaughter might also have witnessed the shooting. Officers found Crenshaw face down approximately 10 feet away and to the left of Coyle. Crenshaw was still breathing and trying to move, according to the officers, but had a severe gunshot wound to his head. In Sgt. Sandor’s description of events, Crenshaw approached Coyle, shot him and then fired a single gunshot into his own head. A 9 mm handgun was found under Crenshaw. Coyle, a resident of Placid Cove Way in Salem, in Oconee County, was pronounced dead at Cannon Memorial Hospital in Pickens. Crenshaw died of his wounds about 10 p.m. Wednesday in Greenville Memorial Hospital. Bob Ariail, solicitor for the 13th Judicial Circuit, which covers Pickens and Greenville counties, said Coyle was a dedicated attorney. “I have known and had cases with Redmond Coyle, both civil and criminal, for the past 30 years,” Ariail said. “Redmond was a lawyer who exemplified the best of our profession. He was dedicated to fully representing his clients’ interest and doing so with integrity and professionalism. His death in this manner represents a vigilante assault on one of the essential institutions of a free society. While his death is tragic to his family, friends, and community it is equally tragic to society as a whole that depends upon the judicial system he represented to provide an orderly means to resolve disputes without the violence that cost him his life.” Coyle was born in Greenville County and graduated from Easley High School in 1966. He went to Clemson University and received a degree in history. He received his law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in Columbia in 1970. Coyle taught adult education and was on the board of Pickens County Behavioral Health, where he worked with young boys. He was formerly a public defender in Pickens County for over 10 years and served on the Defense Court Board. He also served as a captain in the National Guard in Spartanburg. His funeral will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday at Rock Springs Baptist Church in Easley. Burial will be in Hillcrest Memorial Park and Gardens.
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