Dillon County, S.C. — Ryheem Omar Odom was sentenced to 13 years in the South Carolina Department of Corrections following a plea in General Sessions Court on April 6, 2026, before the Honorable S. Bryan Doby.
Odom entered an Alford plea to Attempted Murder, allowing him to accept conviction while not admitting guilt. The State was prepared to begin jury selection the following Monday; however, the defendant chose to resolve the case through a plea.
The charges stem from an incident on March 21, 2020, in Little Rock, South Carolina. Evidence showed that Odom shot victim Karan Charles after observing Charles involved in a separate shootout with Odom’s cousin, Dearus McLean. At the time Odom fired, Charles had already been shot by McLean.
Following consultation with a forensic pathologist, the original charge of Murder was reduced to Attempted Murder based on the medical findings and circumstances of the shooting.
Odom will serve his sentence in the custody of the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant Solicitor John Jepertinger and Special Prosecutor Will Rogers.
Ryheem Omar Odom Sentenced to 13 Years Following Attempted Murder Plea
