Sep 19, 2024
SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCBD) – A man charged with a Summerville homicide and house fire earlier this week is now facing additional charges for a deadly Moncks Corner fire that happened roughly two years ago. The case involved Roger Lavar Small who police say admitted to killing 71-year-old Priscilla N. Yager at her Halcyon Drive home on Tuesday. Law enforcement said Smalls was dropped off by someone just before 7 a.m. and then he broke into the back of the home. Police and firefighters were dispatched to the home when someone noticed it was on fire. Yager was found dead inside with what officials said were suspicious wounds. Her car was also missing. Smalls was later arrested following a vehicle chase that involved the Charleston County Sheriff's Office. He later admitted to the killing. After hearing about the incident, Moncks Corner Police Chief Steve Young said it sounded like a similar incident on September 22, 2022, at the Woodlocke Apartments off Bonnoitt Street. An apartment was seen on fire, and a woman, 65-year-old Suzie Kochever, was found dead inside. Fire officials told News 2 at the time that the fire was relatively small, which was another reason it seemed suspicious. State police assisted in that investigation and determined it was a homicide. Smalls was considered a person of interest in that case. Law enforcement was able to make a charge of disseminating obscene materials against Smalls, but they could not find enough evidence to charge him with that murder at the time. When Smalls confessed to murdering Yager, he also confessed to murdering 65-year-old Suzie Kochever. Both victims had wounds that caused the cases to be suspicious. Authorities believe Smalls was burglarizing Kochever’s home when she was beaten and killed. Then fire was set with the intent to destroy evidence. While the Dorchester County Coroner’s Office is awaiting an autopsy to determine Yager’s cause of death, officials provided News 2 with affidavits in the case. On the murder charge, it says “The defendant selected a knife from the kitchen, which he used to assault the victim. The defendant then set fire to the victim’s body to conceal the crime which resulted in the victim’s death.” It also says he removed an interior smoke detector to prolong the response of first responders.
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