Jurors hear competing accounts after prosecutors say defendant admitted strangling victim and hiding her remains beneath a fire pit
By Coastal Carolina News Staff Writer
CONWAY, SC — More than two years after Penni Whiteside disappeared from Myrtle Beach, the man accused of killing her is now on trial as prosecutors and defense attorneys present sharply different accounts of what led to her death.
Prosecutors allege that Sheridan Dirk Fogle, 56, strangled Whiteside, concealed her death and buried her remains in a wooden box beneath a backyard fire pit. Defense attorney Elizabeth Tilley told jurors that Fogle acted in self-defense during what she described as a toxic and volatile relationship.
Whiteside, 51, was reported missing in May 2022 after family members lost contact with her. Her remains were discovered on June 12, 2024, when investigators executed a search warrant at the Myrtle Beach property where the couple had lived. Authorities uncovered a wooden box containing human remains buried beneath a fire pit in the backyard.
Fogle, of Orangeburg, is charged with murder and kidnapping and has pleaded not guilty.
During opening statements Tuesday, prosecutors told jurors that Fogle admitted to strangling Whiteside after her remains were discovered and then burying her body in the yard. Prosecutors characterized the killing as intentional and malicious.
The defense argued that evidence will show Fogle acted in self-defense, pointing to what attorneys described as a long-troubled relationship between the two.
Jurors also heard testimony from David Swisher, Whiteside’s brother, who said family members had not heard from her since early 2022. A former neighbor testified that Fogle later claimed Whiteside had left with another man after she disappeared.
Investigators previously said neighbors reported that Fogle referenced burying “something” in the backyard and became protective of the fire pit area where the remains were ultimately found.
The trial is continuing in Horry County, and no verdict had been reported as of Wednesday morning.
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