Slain man's mother 'never lost hope'

Rosaline Horton refused to let her son's brutal slaying go unsolved, even as the years passed by.

For 17 years, the grandmother from Sherburne, N.Y., and her family called and wrote to anyone who would listen and could help find the person who shot and killed James Alan Horton. In 1992, the 22-year-old sailor stationed in Charleston was found shot in the chest and left in a ditch near Summerville.

"I never lost hope," his mother said in a phone interview Tuesday. "All the time. I kept in contact with the Navy and the investigators for all of these years. I tried to help them all I could."

The case remained unsolved until late last week, when Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents, along with Missoula County sheriff's deputies in Montana, arrested a 38-year-old computer systems administrator in connection with the killing.

A Berkeley County sheriff's warrant said Charles Andrew Welty of Missoula admitted to investigators that he, along with co-defendants, beat, sexually assaulted and killed Horton in 1992.

Welty appeared in court in Missoula County on Monday. Court officials said it does not appear he will fight extradition back to South Carolina.

Conor Smith, president of First Call Computer Solutions in Missoula, issued a statement Tuesday saying that Welty has been a valued employee for the past five years and has been an outstanding member of the community.

"We hope for the best and are giving total support to Charles and his family as this unfolds," Smith wrote. He declined to answer further questions.

Horton said she and her family can finally breathe a sigh of relief knowing that one of the suspects is finally behind bars.

"If he's the one who murdered Jimmy, he should be paying, not enjoying life," she said. "My son could no longer do that."

James Horton was stationed at the former Charleston Naval Base while serving on the ocean minesweeper Exultant. He was an outgoing man who loved serving in the Navy, his mother said. He had served five years and had signed on for another five years just before his death.

Horton was seen at the CNS Federal Credit Union ATM on the base about 9 p.m. on Oct. 30, 1992. He was later seen that night in two local bars, one on the Navy base and the other on Montague Avenue.

His body was found face-down in a water-filled drainage ditch off Summerville Light Road in Berkeley County on Nov. 14, 1992, after someone called and told deputies where they could find him. His hands were tied behind his back and he had been shot in the chest, authorities said.

Authorities chased down multiple leads, but the case remained mostly dormant until late last year, when NCIS and Berkeley County sheriff's investigators announced they were hoping advancements in DNA technology could help solve the case.

Investigators told The Post and Courier in November that they had interviewed a number of people and were steadily building a case.

Investigators did not return phone calls Tuesday seeking information about what finally led to the breakthrough in the case.

Horton said it has been extremely tough the past 17 years. Her husband, who desperately hoped to see an arrest in the case, died nine years ago. Her daughter Tina Cole, who wrote and called everyone she could think of for help in the case while living in Swansea, died four years ago of cancer.

"I've been on the phone for 17 years -- calling, calling, calling," Horton said. "Finally we got some good news."