Chester road rage shooter claimed woman threw a melon at him before he fired his gun
A Columbia man who fired a gun at a woman driver on Interstate 77 will serve prison time.
A jury convicted Richard F. Dixon, 67, on Thursday of attempted murder and malicious damage to property. The three-day trial took place in Chester County, South Carolina, according to court records.
Dixon said he fired the shot after another driver threw a melon while driving.
South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Brian Gibbons lowered a 20-year sentence for attempted murder against Dixon down to 18 months, plus three years of probation, records show.
Candice Lively, the 6th Circuit Deputy Solicitor who prosecuted the case, said the November 2016 incident shows the real dangers of road rage.
“This was a very emotional case,” Lively said after court. “This was a real road rage. The jury recognized that and the sentence reflected it.”
In closing arguments Thursday, Lively told jurors Dixon shot at the victim’s car in northern Chester County. The victim is from Rock Hill in York County.
“His (Dixon’s) intent was evil that day,” Lively said in court. “He intended to kill her.”
Lively said in court that Dixon admitted firing a gun and the victim’s car was struck.
Honeydew melon court exhibit
Dixon said he fired at the victim after she threw a honeydew melon at his car as both were driving on the interstate, Lively said. The prosecutor said in court the shooting was with a gun that could have been deadly.
“This is his concern?’ Lively argued in closing arguments while holding up a honeydew melon in court. “A vicious honeydew melon? I showed you a bullet hole.”
Lively said after court that the victim denied in trial testimony throwing anything, including a melon, at Dixon from her car. The only claim that a melon was thrown came from the defendant’s testimony, Lively said.
“The victim testified she did not throw anything,” Lively said.
Dixon’s lawyer, John Meadors, said in closing arguments that the incident was self-defense and went on for almost 50 miles from Richland County through Fairfield and Chester counties to the York County line. Meadors said the victim repeatedly slowed to block Dixon and did throw a melon at Dixon’s vehicle.
“She brought on the difficulty,” Meadors argued. “She threw a melon while traveling at 70 miles per hour.”
A civil lawsuit against Dixon filed by the victim in the case remains pending, court records show.
This story was originally published December 4, 2020 at 11:07 AM with the headline "Chester road rage shooter claimed woman threw a melon at him before he fired his gun."
