Judge Beats College Student to Death after Secret Gay Affair Ends in Scandal

A shocking murder, a powerful judge’s dark secret, and a desperate cover-up—this is the tragic case of Daniel Whitaker. When the 24-year-old law clerk was found brutally beaten in Belton, South Carolina, investigators uncovered a hidden affair with Judge Theodore Lawson, a man willing to do anything to protect his reputation. As detectives followed a trail of lies, surveillance footage, and damning emails, they exposed a crime of passion that led to one of the most scandalous trials in South Carolina history. Watch as we unravel the twists, secrets, and ultimate downfall of a man who once upheld the law—only to break it in the most violent way.