11:46 PM EDT, Tue July 27, 2021, Nathaniel Rowland sits with his attorney Alicia Goode during closing arguments in his trial on Tuesday, July 27, in Columbia, South Carolina, Missing USC student Samantha Josephson was found dead after last being seen getting into a vehicle Friday morning in Columbia, SC. The police then started looking for the vehicle that was seen on the security camera. Nathaniel said in court, For whoever asked me for leniency, thats not part of my DNA. The car belonged to her boyfriend, Nathaniel Rowland. COLUMBIA The scene was pure college town post-midnight revelry. Samantha Josephson was born to Seymour and Marci Josephson in August 1997 in Princeton, New Jersey. Samantha Josephson, a college student, boards what she believes to be her rideshare in 2019 after a night out with friends, never to be seen alive again. Rowland was sentenced to life in prison on July 27, 2021. East in Princeton Junction. However, the defense claimed there wasnt any certainty regarding his DNA on the knife. From that point, he was a fixture at Howard's home in the weeks before Josephson was murdered. "I cannot fathom how someone could randomly select a person, a beautful girl, and steal her life away. The young and aspirational woman was a political science major in her senior year at the University of South Carolina. Then, Samanthas blood was located on some clothing owned by Nathaniel. Enter your email to receive top stories, including breaking news alerts, straight to your inbox. So, lets find out more about what happened then, shall we. Its not under her ripped and torn fingernails. At his trial in 2021, the prosections witness said DNA under Nathaniels fingernails matched Samantha. From the friend's house, Josephson's group walked to Five Points after midnight and made their only stop, the Bird Dog, one of the many bars catering to college students. Samantha Josephson was separated at some point during the night from her friends in a heavily trafficked area of town. They were called into a conference room where Josephson's mother and father were, looking distraught. Samantha moved in the direction of the black car that had just parked itself. A phone was pressed to her ear, and one arm tucked across her chest during the unseasonably chilly evening on March 29, 2019. Samanthas roommates first began to worry when they couldnt reach her the following morning. A beautiful 21-year-tragic olds death occurred just as things were beginning to go well for her. Eventually, he pulled into a parking lot next to Bird Dog and backed into a space. At one point, he pulls into a parallel parking spot near the former Yesterday's restaurant and turns the car off, sitting for more than three minutes without getting out of the car. A comparable car was discovered on March 30, 2019, a few blocks from Samanthas last known location. Provided, The final hours leading to the deadly meeting of Samantha Josephson and Nathaniel Rowland, By Stephen Fastenau Josephson had spent the night before her death in the Five Points district in downtown Columbia with friends. 2. She left a bar at 2am and had ordered an Uber home, and mistakenly got into Rowlands car thinking it was her ride. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much What is the English language plot outline for Rideshare Nightmare (2022)? An added TSA lane will be part of $5 million in upgrades at Columbia Metropolitan Airport, according to a White House announcement. Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Prosecutors also called Dr. Thomas Beaver to the witness stand. I close my eyes and I feel what she endured at his hands. When she learned she had been accepted to Drexel Law School on a full scholarship, she decided to celebrate at the Bird Dog, a pub in the Five Points night-club area of Columbia. From the witness stand, Howard later testified that she borrowed Rowland's car to take her daughter to the doctor, and blood ended up on her child's shoes. Its those intentional deliberate, heinous, cruel and malicious acts that Nathaniel David Rowland has been indicted for kidnapping Samantha Josephson. The car had stopped, but the driver had exited and was running. He had the option to not attend the jail hearing on Sunday, more than 24 hours after he was arrested and charged with kidnapping and killing Samantha. Corbishley drove to Columbia the morning after Josephson disappeared. Rowland and Howard were old friends after having met in Five Points years before and had only just reunited earlier in the month when Rowland saw Howard smoking a cigarette on her break from her job at a McDonald's. Josephson's rose gold iPhone gave her location for the last time at South Ott Road and Montgomery Avenue in Rosewood after 2:30 a.m. before being powered off or losing signal. Chance of rain 40%.. Cloudy in the evening, then off and on rain showers after midnight. But I guess what I know and what I think really doesnt matter. An award-winning journalist who has worked forRolling Stone and MTV News, Chris enjoys prog rock, cycling, Marvel movies, IPAs, and roller coasters. The area was called 5 Points and was heavily viewed on social media when video surveillance footage began circulating of Josephson getting into a black Chevy Impala around 2am. That night, Rowland left Howards apartment with friends. Samantha had over a hundred stab wounds on her face, head, neck, upper body, leg, and foot. IDs See No Evil 828 Comply or Die Stephanie Powell Anderson Murder. Everything, she had seen Rowland say and do that day finally made sense. sfastenau@postandcourier.com. Beaver, who handled Josephson's autopsy, said she had sustained several fatal wounds to the brain and neck when she was stabbed to death. At trial, Rowland's ex testified that she had seen blood in the back of his vehicle. A chilling video also shows when Samantha Josephson entered the car: Over the weekend, the family was letting people know that they're not through, that they will work to honor Samantha's memory since the 21-year-old University of South Carolina student, unlike the alleged killer, had "purpose in her life. She absolutely had no chance. One person noted she tutored her in Math and Samantha had babysat her twins. She might have bled to death in as little as 10-20 minutes after those injuries, a pathologist who conducted her autopsy testified. After a night out with friends in Columbia, South Carolina, Samantha asked for an Uber at around two in the morning on March 29, 2019. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Its the most severe murder that has occurred, that I have been a witness to as far as presiding in court or participate in as a lawyer. Furthermore, cellphone data also showed Samantha and Nathaniels phones together in the car at the same time. Discovery Company. The Christopher Hoefling Murder -The 2017 murder of Christopher Hoefling in Evansville, Indiana is the topic of theInvestigation Discoverydocumentary series"The Murder Tapes" Season 7 Episode Lauren Harpe From Survivor 44 -Since its debut in 2000, 'Survivor' has become one of the most popular television programs ever. She would have graduated in June and planned to attend Drexel University School of Law. Follow him on Twitter @StephenFastenau. The car coming to get her was a charcoal gray 2011 Dodge Charger driven by a former city employee who began driving for Uber after he was injured. What happened to Samantha Josephson? On March 29, 2019, Nathaniel attempted to sell the business owner a phone, according to testimony given afterward. Jurors will be shown security video, cellphone data and a murder weapon that connects Rowland, 27, to the death of the University of South Carolina senior, prosecutors said, according to the report. Instead, police say, it was driven by her killer. She paused before returning to the sidewalk. Samantha Josephson, a college student, boards what she believes to be her rideshare in 2019 after a night out with friends, never to be seen alive again. The death of South Carolina student Samantha Josephson, who mistook her alleged killer for an Uber driver, has turned a national spotlight on ride-hailing safety and led to some changes,. And it was two days after Samantha got into the wrong car allegedly Rowland's vehicle that she mistakenly thought was her Uber ride. She had planned to go to the Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law in Philadelphia upon her graduation. Josephson and her roommatesleft The Hub at Columbia, an off-campus student housing tower on Main Street, and drove together to a friend's house within walking distance to Five Points. They had their eyes firmly fixed on their futures and their eyes firmly fixed on their love for one another, Gibson said of Josephson and her friends, according to the network. "I just wish the state would have done more in finding out who the actual person was instead of being satisfied with detaining me and proving my guilt.". And there was Samantha Josephson, standing alone just outside the group. Let's, therefore . "A person who is totally emotionless and what the law would call a depraved heart.". But the judge said there was an avalanche of evidence against Rowland. Kraft told Rowland he smelled marijuana and Rowland admitted to smoking earlier in the day. "He's taken away a piece of our heart, soul and life. Thanks for contacting us. Josephson was celebrating the end of her time in college with a number of friends, while her alleged killer waited to attack, Gipson alleged. Prosecutors also rested their case Monday after calling. She said that she asked him why he was cleaning the car, and Rowland told her it was none of her business. The 21-year-old New Jersey native was about to graduate from the University of South Carolina and was madly in love. Rowland looked "shook" when he opened the door, Howard testified, as if he had seen a ghost. Brown created and produced the British horror comedy series "Wreck," which is currently available on Hulu. The alleged killer, Nathaniel David Rowland, 25, wasn't there to hear it. Josephsons roommates gained access to Josephson's laptop and saw an email where her Uber ride had been canceled. After graduating, Samantha intended to enroll at the Thomas R. Kline School of Law at Drexel University in Philadelphia. They were headed to Five Points. There were a thousand roads. According to the authorities, a woman was carjacked by two men who stole money and items from her home. Rowland used the child-lock to trap Josephson. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? COLUMBIA Samantha Josephson was a fighter, who tore her fingernails as she clawed her attacker before she was killed while locked in the back of a black sedan that she thought was her Uber. A college girl had been out with her buddies in Columbias Five Point Entertainment neighborhood in South Carolina in March 2019 which came to an abrupt end when she boarded what she rides to her Uber taxi. In 2019, 21-year-old Samantha Josephson was just weeks away from graduating college at University of South Carolina. The ride-share industry has also implemented changes, like clearer displays of driver license plates, following Josephson's death. Dr. Thomas Beaver detailed the many injuries the victim sustained, allegedly at the hands of Nathaniel David Rowland, 27. Authorities previously released startling surveillance video showing the tragic moment she stepped inside her killer's car after mistaking it for her Uber. At USC, Samantha was majoring in political science, according to her obituary. Setting: Columbia, South Carolina, United States . She recalled a sheet had been draped over the seat, according to The Post and Courier. The documentary See No Evil: Rideshare Nightmare on Investigation Discovery details how the police used security camera footage and other proof to identify and apprehend Samanthas killer. See production, box office & company info, Self - Deputy Solicitor, Fifth Judicial Circuit. entered his car by mistake believing it was her Uber ride. Josephsons blood was found in the cars passenger side and the trunk, and her cell phone was in the passenger compartment, authorities said at the time of her killing. A jury unanimously found him guilty of Samantha's murder after an hour-long deliberation. Provided, During Nathaniel Rowland's trial, State Law Enforcement Division investigatorDalila Jazic holds up the bloodied shirt taken from Samantha Josephson's body after she was stabbed more than 100 times. During a candlelight vigil in Columbia, SC later on Sunday, friends remembered Samantha as somebody who "had a personality and a presence that lit up a room, and everyone was automatically happier" when she was there. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. So, lets find out more about what happened then, shall we? Greg Corbishley and Josephson met while out at Five Points when both were USC students and would become inseparable. Moments later, a black Chevrolet Impala slipped out of a nearby parking lot and into the disabled space where Josephson waited. Read moreSC House GOP approves asking voters to remove ban on taxes directly aiding private schools, A group of hard-line conservatives in the South Carolina House is challenging state laws that ban them from raising money to support their candidates and influence elections Read moreGOP infighting escalates as SC Freedom Caucus sues in federal court for fundraising power, The Post and Courier Columbia A Warner Bros. He circled the tightly packed network of streets, making a handful of U-turns, every move captured on video and matched with the Impalas shark-fin antenna and rims. He is obsessed with movies, comic books, and television shows, and he spends much too much money on collectibles. The young woman's name is Samantha Josephson'was discovered dead many kilometers from where she was last seen hours later. He was in the vicinity of the body, according to his mobile phone records, and Samanthas cellphone was located in his vehicle. 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