Joseph Elijah Mills, a 27 year old Newberry County man,  was sentenced last week to 40 years,  without the possibility of parole,  for the murders of Charles Allen Judge Jr., 40,  and Jonathan Michael Prins,  29.

The murders occurred at the Frayed Knot Bar and Grill in Lexington County July 24,  2016.   

After consultation with the victims’ family members, the State agreed to a negotiated sentence of 40 years, which must be served “day for day” in the S.C. Department of Corrections.  

Mills went to the Frayed Knot, located near the New-berry County line, shortly after midnight looking for his girlfriend. An altercation ensued and Mills chased and tackled the female in front of numerous bar patrons.  

Mills pulled out a handgun and fired several rounds into the air.  

Judge and Prins approached Mills in an attempt to defuse the situation and disarm the man.

Mills shot both Judge and Prins in the upper body. Prins was pronounced dead at the scene and Judge died during transport to the hospital.

 Charles Judge was a Sergeant First Class of the S.C. Army National Guard.  He served twenty-one years in service overseas in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Iraqi Governance Campaign.  He was the founder of Upstate Stand Down, a non-profit organization which focuses on helping homeless and at risk Veterans.

 Jonathan Prins was a Drill Sergeant in the U.S. Army stationed at Fort Jackson.  During his ten years with the Army, he served two tours in Afghanistan and one tour in Iraq.