Burton man sentenced to life in prison for 2024 murder of roommate

BEAUFORT, S.C. (WTOC) - A Burton man has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted in the 2024 shooting death of his roommate.

SEE: BCSO makes arrest in homicide investigation

According to the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, a Beaufort County General Sessions Court jury found 37-year-old Erbert Francisco Vargas-Caballero guilty Thursday of murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

Investigators say Vargas-Caballero was one of three people charged in connection with the death of 36-year-old Jarin Josiel Avila-Chirinos.

SEE: Third arrest made in homicide investigation in Beaufort Co.

Authorities said Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a mobile home on Hilanda Drive in August 2024 after receiving a report about the killing. Avila-Chirinos’ body was later found in a wooded ditch near the home. A medical examiner determined he had been shot in the head several days before his body was discovered.

Prosecutors said evidence presented during the three-day trial showed Vargas-Caballero arranged for most of the residents to leave the home before shooting the victim in the back of the head.

Circuit Court Judge Marvin Dukes sentenced Vargas-Caballero to life in prison and issued permanent restraining orders preventing him from contacting key witnesses.

Two other men, Edwin Humberto Martinez-Ruiz, 35, and Roland Saul Bardales-Rivera, 38, have also been charged in connection with the case. Prosecutors say both men are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

The case was prosecuted by Mary Jones of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office Career Criminal Unit.