Man arrested for double-murder, who got out on bond, is in custody again for murder

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — A Georgetown County man was arrested this week for murder, while he was out on bond for a previous double murder.

Deputies responded to a home on Meadow Street in Georgetown County on Wednesday and found Tyquez Walker dead from gunshot wounds.

Ryan Woodruff was accused of killing Walker and was arrested.

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He's one example of a repeat offender- something South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster said is a big problem in our state.

McMaster has been advocating for denying bond for repeat criminals for months now.

In May 2021, Ryan Woodruff was charged in the murder of Debra Goins and Roger Woodruff- relatives he was living with at the time.

They were found dead in their home with trauma wounds to their heads.

By the time he was charged in that crime, he was already in custody at the Williamsburg County Detention Center for a separate attempted murder.

We're working for you to find out why Woodruff was out on bond after being charged with attempted murder in one case, and two other murders in a separate case one week later.

In McMaster's State of the State address on Wednesday he spoke about closing the revolving door for violent criminals.

McMaster said 80% of crimes are committed by repeat criminals and said they shouldn't get out on bond if they're convicted again.

“Those who commit a crime while out on bond should receive an automatic mandatory 5-year sentence with no early release or parole – on top of the sentence for their previous crimes," McMaster said.

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15th Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson's office was there for Woodruff's bond hearings for the double murder.

“We had bond denied the first time. The defense attorney asked for another bond hearing. We opposed bond again and cited the things you talked about today as a reason to say, ‘he’s a danger to the community, please don’t let him out,"' Richardson said.

However, Woodruff was granted a $50,000 bond on each murder charge and was released from prison.

Richardson agrees with McMaster and believes crime would decrease if repeat criminals were kept in jail.

“What is so great about what the governor is proposing is if you’re a violent offender, you get out and then get back in, you can’t get right, even with people watching you and you can’t get right then, maybe the best place for you is jail," he said.

Richardson said when it came to Woodruff's double-murder bond, he doesn't know what else they could've done.

We reached out to the judge who granted bond for Woodruff, but haven't heard back.

Woodruff is being held at the Georgetown County Detention Center while he awaits his bond hearing for the death of Walker.