WALTERBORO, SC (Oct. 29, 2026) - A Walterboro woman who tracked down her estranged husband and fatally shot his companion during a late‑night confrontation is now bound for prison.
Michelle Gladys Bingley, 43, of Wichman Street was found guilty of murder Thursday in the April 28, 2025, shooting death of Tineseing Lachell Johns. She was sentenced to 35 years in prison.
Walterboro Police officers were dispatched around 11:30 p.m. to Grace Street for a report of an unresponsive woman. Officers found Johns on the ground outside her vehicle with a gunshot wound under her arm. She was later pronounced dead. An autopsy at MUSC ruled the death a homicide caused by a gunshot wound.
“Domestic violence has devastating and far‑reaching consequences for families and communities,” said Assistant Solicitor Tameaka A. Legette of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, who prosecuted the case. “As we recognize October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, this case underscores the importance of early intervention and accountability. Our office remains committed to seeking justice for victims and ensuring that violent acts such as these are thoroughly prosecuted.”
A few days after the shooting, Bingley turned herself in to authorities. In an interview, she told investigators she believed her husband had been unfaithful and used his Google account to locate him at his mother’s home. Bingley said she “lost her mind” when he refused to get out of the victim’s vehicle and fired into the car before fleeing.
“I didn’t mean to do anything. I just did it to scare him,” she told investigators. Later in the interview, she said, “I killed somebody.” She discarded the pink revolver along her route before abandoning her vehicle. The gun was never found.
Sgt. Whitlee Fisk of the Walterboro Police Department testified that a .38‑caliber bullet was collected from the victim’s vehicle. A bullet removed during autopsy was consistent with a revolver. Fisk was one of 12 witnesses called by the state during the three-day trial at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro.
Bingley also was convicted of domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature, possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime and discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle.
Circuit Court Judge Donald B. Hocker handed down the sentence.
If you, or someone you know, is a victim of domestic abuse, help is available by calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text “START” to 88788. To learn more about local resources, visit the 14th Circuit Victims Services Center at https://scsolicitor14.org/victim-services-center/.
