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Man sentenced after ‘brutal murder’ of Upstate man

RENE: I'M BACK IN GREENVILLE COUNTY BECAUSE I JUST TALKED TO OFFICERS WITH THE GREENVILLE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE. I'LL GIVE YOU MORE DETAILS DURING THE DAY. WHAT WE KNOW NOW IS THAT THE INVESTIGATION BEGAN EARLY THIS WEEK ON MONDAY WHEN DEPARTMENTS RECEIVED A TIP FROM A MAN THEY DID NOT IDENTIFY WHO SAID A BODY MAY HAVE BEEN BURIED ON A PROPERTY. SO THEY WENT TO CRIPPLE CREEK ROAD EARLY THIS WEEK. HIS REMAINS WERE FOUND WITH MULTIPLE STAB WOUNDS AND THEY BELIEVE HE WAS KILLED AROUND THE FIRST OF DECEMBER. THEN THEY BELIEVE HE WAS TAKEN MILES AWAY TO HIS SITE WHERE HE WAS BURIED. AUTHORITIES SAY THEY ARE CONDUCTING AN INVESTIGATION – THE INVESTIGATION RATHER LEAD TO THE ARREST OF SIX PEOPLE, FIVE OF WHOM ARE CHARGED WITH MURDER AND KIDNAPPING. YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THEM ON THE SCREEN. THERE IS NO MUG SHOT AVAILABLE YET FOR THE FIFTH SUSPECT. NOW WE ARE TOLD THAT AT LEAST ONE OF THE SUSPECTS WAS A FAMILIAR WITH THE VICTIM, BUT WE ARE STILL WAITING FOR MORE DETAILS. DEPUTIES SAY THE INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING AND AT THIS TIME THE MOTIVATION IS UNCLEAR. WE WILL GIVE YOU THE LATEST DETAILS AS THEY ARE OCCURRED. WE WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH MORE UPDATES AND RIGHT NOW ALL SIX SUSPECTS ARE BEHIND ME WITHOUT BOND.

Greenville County jury convicts man “brutally murdered” in northern state, officials say

Ivan Vladimirovich Gula, 41, found in shallow grave in Greer

13th Judicial District Attorney Walt Wilkins announces a man has been convicted following a 2019 murder. (Video above: original report) On December 16, 2019, a Duncan, South Carolina man was found with stab wounds in a shallow grave after being brutally murdered in an attack, according to Lt. Ryan Flood of the Greenville County Sheriff's Office. The coroner said Ivan Vladimirovich Gula, 41, was found buried on a property on Cripple Creek Road in Greer. On the morning of December 16, a man came to the Law Enforcement Center and gave information about a body that may be buried on the property. Investigators went to the scene and Gula's body was found with multiple stab wounds. Kurt Russell Knutson, 38, was charged with accessory after the fact that same evening. Flood said investigators then discovered five more suspects in connection with the killing and by Wednesday night had arrested the following suspects: David Jeffery Stokes, 39, charged with murder and kidnapping, Audrea Jones Cook, 33, charged with murder and kidnapping, Bobby Ray Smith, 35, charged with murder and kidnapping, Jeffery Michael George, 45, charged with murder and kidnapping, Patrick Shane Poole, 42, charged with murder and kidnapping. Flood said the investigation revealed Gula was killed around Dec. 1 in an attack that investigators believe began in a trailer at the corner of C and S Drive. Gula's body was then taken a few miles away to Cripple Creek Road, where he was buried in a shallow grave, Flood said. On Wednesday, the Greenville County Sheriff's Office released details of the sentencing of one of the suspects, Jeffrey Michael George, now 50. Officials said George was convicted by a Greenville County jury on September 20, 2024. Wilkins stated George was sentenced to 48 years in prison by Judge Alex Kinlaw Jr. According to court evidence, on December 1, 2019, George conspired with the other five suspects to lure Gula to a home in Greer. When Gula arrived at a co-defendant's trailer, George held a gun to the victim while another co-defendant, Stokes, struck him multiple times with a machete. Evidence also showed George transported the victim's body in the back of his truck to a burial site near the crime scene. Wilkins stated that trials for the remaining co-defendants are expected to be scheduled in the coming months.

Thirteenth Judicial District Attorney Walt Wilkins announces that a man has been convicted of a 2019 murder.

(Video above: original reporting)

On December 16, 2019, a Duncan, South Carolina man was found with stab wounds in a shallow grave after being brutally murdered in an attack, according to Lt. Ryan Flood of the Greenville County Sheriff's Office.

The coroner said 41-year-old Ivan Vladimirovich Gula was found buried on a property on Cripple Creek Road in Greer.

On the morning of December 16, a man came to the Law Enforcement Center and reported a body possibly buried on the property.

Investigators went to the crime scene and found Gula's body with numerous stab wounds.

38-year-old Kurt Russell Knutson was charged with accessory after the fact that same evening.

Suspects in Greenville County murder and kidnapping case: David Stokes, Bobby Ray Smith, Audrea Cook, Kurt Knutson, Jeffery George

Greenville County Detention Center

Flood said investigators subsequently discovered five other suspects involved in the murder and arrested the following suspects by Wednesday night:

  • David Jeffery Stokes, 39, charged with murder and kidnapping
  • Audrea Jones Cook, 33, charged with murder and kidnapping
  • Bobby Ray Smith, 35, charged with murder and kidnapping
  • Jeffery Michael George, 45, charged with murder and kidnapping
  • Patrick Shane Poole, 42, charged with murder and kidnapping

Flood said the investigation revealed that Gula was killed around Dec. 1 in an attack that investigators believe began in a trailer at the corner of C and S Drive.

Gula's body was then taken several miles to Cripple Creek Road, where he was buried in a shallow grave, Flood said.

On Wednesday, the Greenville County Sheriff's Office released details of the conviction of one of the suspects, Jeffrey Michael George, now 50.

Deputies said George was convicted by a Greenville County jury on September 20, 2024.

Wilkins stated that George was sentenced to 48 years in prison by Judge Alex Kinlaw Jr.

According to court evidence, on December 1, 2019, George conspired with the other five suspects to lure Gula to a home in Greer. When Gula arrived at a co-defendant's trailer, George pointed a gun at the victim while another co-defendant, Stokes, struck him multiple times with a machete.

The evidence also showed that George transported the victim's body in the back of his truck to a burial site near the crime scene.

Wilkins said the trials of the remaining co-defendants are expected to be scheduled in the coming months.

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