South Carolina man accused of keeping four vulnerable adults captive in his basement charged with murder

A man from South Carolina accused of holding four defenseless adults captive in his basement – one of them for at least 10 years – was charged with murder after one of them was found dead.

Donnie Birchfield Jr., 36, is accused of killing 49-year-old Shirley Arnsdorff, one of four people allegedly held against their will in his basement.

On July 25, police responded to a call of a woman dead at a home on Churchill Drive in the city of Lancaster, about 50 miles south of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Police have not said how he died.

At the scene, police found Arnsdorff’s body along with three other adults who were allegedly kept in the basement. One of them had been held captive for at least 10 years, police said.

Birchfield is also accused of stealing his victims’ debit cards to make purchases for himself.

Arnsdorff’s aunt, known only by her first name, said: WBTV She said her brother, Arnsdorff’s husband, was also held captive and has been missing since the Covid-19 outbreak.

Terisa told the press, “I’m glad he finally has more charges brought against him… but I’m ready for this all to be over.”

“I can’t really put it into words. Everyone who lives around Lancaster needs to be aware of your surroundings, be aware of who your friends are, or who your so-called friends are,” Terisa added.

Lancaster Police Chief Don Roper called the case “heartbreaking” at a news conference last week.

“The Lancaster Police Department is committed to obtaining justice for the victim and his family,” Roper said. “We offer our sincere condolences to the victim’s family and hope that we can bring them some peace of mind through justice. We encourage anyone with further information to come forward and assist us with this ongoing investigation.”

Birchfield is accused of keeping the vulnerable married couple and two women with whom he was romantically involved locked in the basement.

Each of the victims was allegedly held against their will and denied access to food, water, medicine and the outside world. Birchfield even checked when the victims ate and used the toilet. WBTV.

Allegedly According to authorities, he had been in “romantic/intimate relationships” with the two women, one for a year and the other for nearly 10 years.

Recordings obtained by WBTV showed a woman saying Birchfield told her “he was going to kill her” and that she “knew how to get rid of a body because of past experiences.”

Police said over the course of three years, starting in September 2022, Birchfield used debit cards and bank account numbers associated with the victims to make dozens of purchases for himself, even paying off his own credit card debt with their money.

Birchfield’s attorney, M. Ryan Payne, told WBTV his office is investigating the matter.

“My client maintains his innocence in the case, and it is important to remember that he is presumed innocent of these allegations. We look forward to hearing this case in the court system, where facts, evidence and the rule of law matter. We will have no further comment at this time,” Payne said.

Birchfield was arrested on Aug. 2 and faces multiple charges in addition to the murder charge. These include:

• Four counts of exploitation of a vulnerable adult

• False imprisonment four times

• Two counts of domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature

• Two counts of abuse of a vulnerable adult

• Two financial transaction card thefts

• One transaction card fraud

• One count of financial identity fraud