‘He was too good for the world’: Son looking for answers in father’s Myrtle Beach cold case

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) – It can be surreal how much life happens in a year, especially when the years of a loved one run out far before they’re supposed to.

“You would think you start to learn how to deal with things better, cope with things better. Then you start to forget, but each year weighs like a little bit heavier on my heart – even when I don’t realize it,” said Shawn Davis.

Shawn’s father, Jim Davis, was murdered at the Myrtle Beach convenience store where he worked on the morning of Oct. 23, 2003. To date, there have been no arrests in the case.

“When officers arrived, they spoke to a patron of the store who had come into the store to use the ATM and while he was using the ATM. He heard what sounded like a moan from behind the counter. And so he looked behind the counter, saw Mr. Davis lying there, and immediately called police,” said Capt. Traci Chanaca of the Myrtle Beach Police Department.

The store, located on the corner of 34th Avenue and Kings Highway, has changed names a few times. Currently a Circle K – it was called “The Pantry” when Jim worked there.

A police report shows officers responded immediately. Though they were able to get the license plates of a few cars in the parking lot at the time, they were never able to make an arrest.

The case has gotten fresh eyes several times over the years. In 2008, detectives honed in on surveillance video that showed a man who told a clerk that he knew who killed Jim Davis.

MBPD Sgt. Tony Lever told WMBF News in a 2011 interview that this man allegedly went to the store and talked to a clerk twice – but never reported the information to police.

Each time the case gets a new look, the Davis family gets a renewed hope. Shawn reflected on how his father would do anything for anyone.

“It makes it that much more difficult that somebody robbed him for $43 and shot him in the back when he would have just given them the money or helped them if they needed it,” he said.

While the case is considered cold, Chanaca said it has never been closed.

But she also said since so many years have passed, the approach has to be different.

“To solve a case such as this, it takes old-fashioned police work. It takes gathering a lot of different puzzle pieces and putting it together to figure out what happened.”

The department still believes that the sketch of the suspect that circulated shortly after Jim was killed could still be beneficial.

Shawn has also turned to social media to help drum up support for his dad and the case, hoping to tell as many people as he can that his dad’s killer has never been caught.

“I didn’t know what I was doing when I started the TikTok, I still don’t know what I’m doing but I just learned that just starting things, it helps get everyone involved,” said Shawn.

While Chanaca could not get into specifics, she said the department will be looking more closely at this case in the coming months.

Stay with WMBF News for updates.

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