Denali Berries Stuckey (fka Derrick Stuckey) homicide report (Charleston County Coroner)
Multi Request | Denali Berries Stuckey (fka Derrick Stuckey) homicide report |
Submitted | Dec. 31, 2021 |
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Communications
From: Insider Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the South Carolina Public Records Law, I hereby request the following records:
All records associated with the homicide investigation of Denali Berries Stuckey, whose name assigned at birth was Derrick Stuckey, who died on July 20, 2019, including but not limited to:
-Initial incident report, including crime scene notes and narrative description
-Chronological record of events
-Property and evidence logs
-Arrest reports
-Witness list
-Autopsy report and any medical examiner notes
-Interview notes from detectives who investigated the death, as well as any photos and videos included in the case file
-Press releases and public communications regarding the case, such as flyers and electronic community outreach
-Search warrant affidavits
-Case summary
-Charges recommended to prosecuting agency
I would like these records in electronic format, transmitted via email or other digital method; please refrain from sending paper copies of the records. If you anticipate that providing me with all responsive records will take longer than two weeks, I ask that you provide records to me on a rolling basis as they become available. In any event, do not destroy any records that may potentially contain responsive documents.
If you determine that any of the information I’ve requested qualifies for an exemption from disclosure, I ask you to note whether the exemption is discretionary, and if so whether it is necessary in this case to exercise your discretion to withhold the information. In any event, please provide a signed notification citing the legal authorities on which you rely if you determine that any of the information is exempt and will not be disclosed.
Please waive any applicable fees; this information is being sought for reporting purposes. As I am making this request as a journalist and this information is timely, I would appreciate your communicating with me by telephone if you have questions regarding this request. If I can provide any clarification that will help expedite the processing of my request, please contact me directly, at 718.360.6359 or bdavis@insider.com
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
I look forward to your reply within 15 business days, as the statute requires, and an even prompter reply if you can make a determination without having to review the records in question.
Sincerely,
Bradford William Davis
Reporter, investigations | INSIDER
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following South Carolina Public Records Law request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 3, 2022. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following South Carolina Public Records Law request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 3, 2022. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Charleston County Coroner
Mr. Davis,
In regards to your request for documentation pertaining to, Derrick Stuckey (aka Denali Berries Stuckey), I responded to your requests on January 3rd, 2022 and January 25th, 2022.
In both responses I informed you that our files are not releasable under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). In that connection I directed you to S. C. Code Ann. § 30-4-20(c), which reads in part: ". . . Records such as income tax returns, medical records, hospital medical staff reports, . . .and other records which by law are required to be closed to the public are not considered to be made open to the public under the provisions of this act. . .[Freedom of Information Act-FOIA]."
I also cited the case of The Society of Professional Journalists vs. Joel S. Sexton, 283 S.C. 563, 324 S.E. 2nd 313 (1984) in which the Court cited the lower Court holding that, "the Medical Examiner's records exempt from disclosure as medical records under § 30-4-20(c) and as investigative reports under Code § 30-4-40(a)(3)."
Once again, your request can/will be fulfilled if this office receives an authorization to release Protected Health Information (PHI) signed by the Next-of-Kin (see 45 CFR § 164.508(1)), a Certificate of Appointment as the Personal Representative to the Decedent's Estate (S. C. Code Ann., § 17-5-535(A)(6)) and 45 CFR 164.502(g)(1), or a Subpoena.
In my last response I forwarded to you an invoice for the Coroner's Report (CR) because this office does prepare a CR, which is a brief summarization of the details of a case to include the manner and cause of death (the CR is releasable under FOIA). If a CR will satisfy your need, I will need to receive payment for that aforementioned report before I can email to you.
Lastly, our operating procedures will not change regardless of the number of times you submit this request; and, the documentation you've requested will not be produced without an authorizing document; or we receive payment for the CR.
May you have a very productive remainder of this week,
Joe Crawford
Charleston County Coroner - Paralegal
4000 Salt Pointe Parkway
North Charleston, SC 29405
Office Hours: M-F 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Office Main Line: (843) 746-4030
Fax: (843) 746-4033
JUCrawford@charlestoncounty.org<mailto:JUCrawford@charlestoncounty.org>
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