Two years after his son was shot to death in his bedroom by men breaking into his home, the victim’s father stood in bond court today to see the man accused of the crime.
Melvin Simmons Jr., 35, was shot to death around 4 a.m. July 10, 2010, on Old Georgetown Road in McClellanville.
Mario Leonard Caldwell, 33, of Sconesill Lane in Charleston is charged with murder, first-degree burglary, possession of a firearm during commission of a violent crime and two counts of first-degree assault and battery.
Simmons’ father, Melvin Simmons, stood before Magistrate Linda Lombard before she set bail today.
“I’m just glad to see that justice is finally coming to pass,” Simmons said.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Lombard said.
The judge did not set bail on the murder and burglary charges. She set bail totaling $1.1 million on the other charges.
“Anyone who would just murder my son, I think he’s in the right place, and I hope he stays there,” Simmons said after the hearing.
Caldwell was the second man arrested in the homicide. Troy L. Mason of North Charleston, who was 21 at the time, was arrested a month after the homicide and charged with murder.
According to an affidavit from the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office that was filed in court, several men wearing masks burst into the home that night and yelled, “FBI, get on the ground.” Gunfire broke out between the intruders and the residents, leaving Simmons dead in the bedroom and Curtis Darnell Delaney, 26, of North Charleston dead in the front yard from a single gunshot wound to the chest. Investigators believe he was one of the intruders and was hit when someone inside the house grabbed a gun and started firing.
Investigators believe Caldwell drove Mason to Mason’s mother’s house after the break-in. Charleston police found the vehicle that Caldwell drove that night abandoned and burned the next night, according to the affidavit.
Mason was arrested after he went to a hospital to be treated for gunshot wounds and blood from his clothes matched blood at the scene, according to the affidavit.
Reach Dave Munday at 937-5553 or twitter.com/dmunday.