Samantha Josephson was 21 years old and left a bar in Columbia, South Carolina, in the early hours of March 29, 2019. She requested an Uber. When a black Chevrolet Impala pulled up beside her, she thought it was her ride and got in.
It wasn’t. Nathaniel Rowland was behind the wheel, and according to prosecutors, the child safety locks were engaged: from the back seat, Samantha had no way to open the door. Hours later, her body was found about 105 kilometers away. Investigators found her blood inside the car, along with her phone and other evidence. And there was one more detail: Rowland tried to use Samantha’s debit card after the crime.
In July 2021, a jury found him guilty after just an hour of deliberation. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The case became a passenger safety campaign: before getting in, check the driver’s name, the license plate, and the vehicle’s make and model.
