CONWAY, SC — An Aynor couple will spend the rest of their lives in prison after a Horry County jury convicted them of murdering the woman’s grandparents in 2017, closing a case that stretched more than two years and involved multiple law‑enforcement agencies across the region.
Jordan Marie Hodge, 23, and her boyfriend, Kenneth Wayne Carlisle, 30, were each found guilty of two counts of murder in the deaths of Hodge’s grandparents, Linda McAllister and William “Chet” Clemmons. The verdict was delivered Thursday, October 3, 2019, in a Conway courtroom. Circuit Court Judge D. Craig Brown sentenced both defendants to two life terms, to run concurrently.
Investigators testified that July 3, 2017, was the last day anyone saw McAllister or Clemmons alive. The couple met with Hodge and Carlisle that afternoon. Their bodies were discovered nearly two weeks later, on July 15, in a wooded area at the end of Browns Chapel Avenue near a Conway boat landing.
Prosecutors Seth Oskin and George DeBusk told jurors that evidence showed Hodge and Carlisle driving the victims’ 2011 blue Dodge Ram pickup truck in the days following the disappearance. They also spent roughly $11,000 using McAllister’s debit card at Walmart, an auto‑parts store, and ATMs. Oskin described the motive as money and greed, saying the evidence was overwhelming.
During sentencing, family members urged Judge Brown to impose the maximum penalty. Dara Hodge, daughter of Linda McAllister and mother of Jordan Hodge, said the loss had devastated their family. She told the court she still loved her daughter but believed the harshest punishment was necessary.
James “Bo” Moran, McAllister’s son, said the 817 days since the murders had been marked by sleepless nights and emotional turmoil. He described his mother as a generous woman who tried to help everyone she met.
The case began as a missing‑persons investigation and grew into a multi‑agency homicide probe. Conway Police, Horry County Police, Myrtle Beach Police, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and the FBI all contributed to the investigation.
Oskin said the cooperation among agencies was critical in bringing the case to a close and securing justice for the victims’ family.
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