Trial begins for man charged in wife's death at Perkins

A man accused of shooting his estranged wife eight times in the parking lot of Perkins Family Restaurant in Summerville stands trial in St. George this week.

A judge rejected 48-year-old Randal William Benton's plea deal last month after Benton said he didn't know if the facts of the case, as presented by the prosecutor, were correct. Benton intended to enter an Alford plea that day, meaning he did not admit to killing Treva Benton on Oct. 30, 2010, but acknowledged that prosecutors likely could prove the charge.

He would have received a 40-year sentence with no chance of parole under the plea arrangement. Now, standing trial on a murder charge, Randal Benton could spend 30 years to life in prison with no chance of parole, if convicted.

Randal Benton and 36-year-old Treva Benton separated after several years of marriage, and Randal moved out first, authorities said. Randal helped Treva move out of their house the day she died, according to prosecutors, and then came back looking for her.

A neighbor told Randal that Treva left with a new boyfriend, and Randal returned home and destroyed a photograph of himself and Treva, prosecutors said. Randal went to a Trolley Road bar for a few hours and then told his stepson that his truck had broken down, according to authorities.

Treva left with Randal, telling her son to call her in 20 minutes if she hadn't returned and, if she didn't answer, to call police.

Treva took Randal to the Perkins on Trolley Road, where employees spotted the pair arguing and stepped outside to ask them to leave.

Randal took out a gun and shot Treva eight times before running away, according to prosecutors. Witnesses that night said the man who killed Treva Benton stood over her and kept shooting, even as she tried to crawl away.

Randal called his mother from an Alabama gas station the next morning and, when he turned the phone back over to the gas station clerk, his mother told the clerk that her son was wanted for murder. The clerk pushed a panic button, and authorities caught up with Randal and brought him back to South Carolina.

Assistant Solicitor Russell Hilton said the murder trial should run through Thursday.

Reach Allyson Bird at 937-5594 or on Twitter at @allysonjbird.