Man who pleaded guilty in fatal I-26 crash to be sentenced this month

The man who begged a police officer to kill him after learning his drunk driving had killed someone else is expected to be sentenced later this month.

Samuel McCauley, 20, pleaded guilty to felony driving under the influence last May but a judge deferred his sentencing, which is expected to take place on Jan. 18 in Charleston County Circuit Court.

McCauley asked to be locked up while awaiting his sentencing hearing, and he’s currently detained at the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center.

During his plea hearing, McCauley told the family of 72-year-old Eleanor Caperton, who was killed in the July 24 crash, that “no one deserves to die the way I killed Eleanor Caperton.”

McCauley drove the wrong way on Interstate 26 near the Crosstown and slammed his car head-on to Capterton’s vehicle. Caperton, a mother and grandmother, was on her way home to Ladson after working a night shift as a security guard.

McCauley, who was 19 at the time of the crash, had a blood alcohol level that was more than two times greater than the .08 limit, according to prosecutors who spoke at the plea hearing.

Known by friends as Ellie, Capterton worked as a bank teller at First Citizens Bank in Hanahan for more than 50 years and worked security on weekends.

McCauley faces a possible maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.

Reach Natalie Caula at 937-5594 or Twitter.com/ncaula.