The Nathaniel Rowland case is the South Carolina prosecution of a Clarendon County man who kidnapped and murdered 21-year-old University of South Carolina senior Samantha Josephson in March 2019 after she mistook his black Chevrolet Impala for the Uber she had ordered. Rowland was convicted of murder, kidnapping, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime in July 2021 and sentenced to life in prison. The South Carolina Court of Appeals unanimously affirmed the conviction on August 21, 2024.1FindLaw. State v. Rowland, Appellate Case No. 2021-000822
What Happened to Samantha Josephson
Josephson had been out with friends in Columbia’s Five Points entertainment district in the early morning hours of March 29, 2019. Around 2 a.m., she ordered an Uber and stepped outside the Bird Dog Lounge alone.2NBC News. Student Killed After Taking Car She Mistook for Uber Was Victim Surveillance footage showed her getting into a black Chevrolet Impala that she appeared to believe was her ride-share.3People. Nathaniel Rowland Guilty of Murder of Samantha Josephson The car belonged to Rowland, then 24, from the New Zion area of Clarendon County.
Once she was inside, Rowland activated the child safety locks, preventing the doors from opening from the interior.4NBC Philadelphia. Man Convicted of Killing Woman Who Mistook His Car for Uber Josephson was stabbed approximately 120 times.5WIS TV. Court Upholds Life Sentence for Man Convicted in Murder of USC Student Around 3:45 p.m. the same day, turkey hunters found her body on Black Bottom Road in a wooded area of New Zion, roughly 65 miles from Columbia and about two miles from Rowland’s childhood home.6The Item. USC Confirms Death of Missing Student, Body Found in Clarendon County
How Rowland Was Caught
Rowland was arrested the following day after a traffic stop just two blocks from where Josephson was last seen. Officers pulled him over because his Impala matched the description of a vehicle tied to a missing person alert. They smelled marijuana, found he had no driver’s license, and watched him try to run.5WIS TV. Court Upholds Life Sentence for Man Convicted in Murder of USC Student
Inside the car, investigators recovered a rose gold iPhone and a set of keys with a pink key ring, both later linked to Josephson, along with bloodstains, footprints on the windows, and cleaning supplies.5WIS TV. Court Upholds Life Sentence for Man Convicted in Murder of USC Student Cellphone tracking data showed Josephson’s phone and Rowland’s phone traveling together along Sumter Highway toward Sumter and New Zion.7WIS TV. Nathaniel Rowland Trial: Defense Says His DNA Was Not Found on Samantha Josephson
The forensic case tightened from there. DNA matching Josephson was recovered from a multi-tool prosecutors identified as the murder weapon, calculated as 6.9 septillion times more likely to contain her DNA than that of an unrelated person, and from the car’s center console, driver seat headrest, and seat buckle. A glove pulled from a trash can at the home of Rowland’s then-girlfriend Maria Howard contained a DNA mixture that was septillions of times more likely to include DNA from both Josephson and Rowland than that of unaffiliated individuals.8The State. DNA Evidence Presented at Nathaniel Rowland Trial Investigators also documented nine unsuccessful attempts to use Josephson’s Wells Fargo card and evidence that Rowland had tried to sell her phone.7WIS TV. Nathaniel Rowland Trial: Defense Says His DNA Was Not Found on Samantha Josephson
The Trial and Verdict
Rowland was tried in Richland County Circuit Court in Columbia in July 2021 before Judge Clifton Newman. Fifth Circuit Solicitor Byron Gipson and Assistant Solicitor April Sampson prosecuted. Rowland was represented by court-appointed public defenders Tracy Pinnock, Alicia Goode, and Robert Pillinger.9The State. Nathaniel Rowland Verdict in Samantha Josephson Murder Trial The prosecution called nearly three dozen witnesses over roughly a week.4NBC Philadelphia. Man Convicted of Killing Woman Who Mistook His Car for Uber
Maria Howard, Rowland’s ex-girlfriend, was a central witness. She testified that on the day of the murder she saw blood in the backseat of Rowland’s Impala, partially covered by a sheet, and blood on the dashboard, and that when she asked about it, Rowland told her to “mind her business.” She later saw him washing the car with something that smelled like chlorine and, while she drove them to her mother’s house, saw him wearing blue surgical gloves and cleaning a multi-tool with wipes.10The State. Nathaniel Rowland’s Ex-Girlfriend Testifies at Trial Her McDonald’s work visor went missing from the car; investigators recovered it, blood-stained, from the trunk.11Oxygen. Nathaniel Rowland’s Ex Testifies at Samantha Josephson Trial of Blood Found in Car Howard said she did not go to police right away because she was “scared for my life.”
Prosecutors also introduced a handwritten list on an envelope found in the car, referencing gas, duct tape, and matches, and a handwriting expert testified it was “probable” Rowland had written it.8The State. DNA Evidence Presented at Nathaniel Rowland Trial
The defense called no witnesses and Rowland did not testify. His attorneys attacked the forensic evidence, telling jurors that “zero” DNA matching Rowland had been found on Josephson’s body or under her fingernails, noting that Rowland had no visible injuries at his arrest despite evidence that Josephson fought her attacker, and pointing to unidentified DNA profiles on tested items.7WIS TV. Nathaniel Rowland Trial: Defense Says His DNA Was Not Found on Samantha Josephson On cross-examination, state pathologist Dr. Thomas Beaver acknowledged he had searched online for images of knives after the autopsy and had sent investigators a photo of a different-looking tool than the one prosecutors ultimately identified as the weapon.12Oxygen. Nathaniel Rowland’s Defense Rests Without Calling Witnesses A defense motion to dismiss was denied.
On July 27, 2021, the jury convicted Rowland on all three counts. Judge Newman noted the actual deliberation time was one hour and seven minutes. Rowland maintained his innocence after the verdict.13The State. Nathaniel Rowland Sentenced After Samantha Josephson Murder Conviction He was sentenced that same afternoon to life in prison, and prosecutors said he would spend the rest of his natural life behind bars.14WIS TV. Judge Sentences Man Found Guilty of Murdering UofSC Student Samantha Josephson
The Appeal
Rowland appealed to the South Carolina Court of Appeals on three grounds: that officers lacked probable cause or reasonable suspicion for the traffic stop and its fruits should have been suppressed; that the handwriting expert’s testimony linking him to the envelope list should not have been admitted; and that DNA testimony providing only “weak support” for his inclusion in mixtures on the multi-tool and other items should have been excluded.
On August 21, 2024, the court unanimously rejected all three arguments and affirmed the conviction and life sentence. The court held that officers had reasonable suspicion based on the totality of the circumstances, including a BOLO alert matching the vehicle, its proximity to where Josephson was last seen, the timing, and the exigency of a missing person search.1FindLaw. State v. Rowland, Appellate Case No. 2021-000822 It found the handwriting testimony properly admitted.15WRDW. Family Relieved After USC Student’s Killer Loses Appeal On the DNA challenge, the court said arguments about the strength of the findings went to weight for the jury, not admissibility, and added that any error would have been “harmless in light of the overwhelming evidence of guilt.”
Solicitor Gipson said after the ruling: “Although the Court’s decision cannot bring Samantha back to us, I hope that, in time, it will bring peace and closure to the Josephson family.” As of that decision, no further appeals or post-conviction motions have been publicly reported.16SC Solicitor 5. SC Court of Appeals Upholds Nathaniel Rowland’s Convictions for Murder and Kidnapping Rowland is serving his sentence in a South Carolina prison.
The Laws Passed After Josephson’s Death
Josephson’s killing led to ride-share safety legislation in South Carolina and, later, in Congress. The Samantha L. Josephson Ridesharing Safety Act was introduced on April 2, 2019, passed the General Assembly on May 9, was signed on May 16, and took effect June 15, 2019. It requires ride-share vehicles to display the license plate number in a legible, two-inch-tall font visible from the front at pickup, makes impersonating a ride-share driver a misdemeanor punishable by up to $500 and 30 days in jail, and makes using ride-share branding to further criminal activity a separate misdemeanor carrying up to $1,000 in fines and two years in prison.17South Carolina Legislature. H.4380 – Samantha L. Josephson Ridesharing Safety Act
At the federal level, “Sami’s Law,” authored by Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey, passed the U.S. House unanimously in July 2020 but stalled in the Senate.18U.S. Rep. Chris Smith. Sami’s Law Passes House It was reintroduced and signed into law by President Biden on January 5, 2023.19GovTrack. H.R. 9423 – Sami’s Law The federal statute requires ride-share companies to ensure their vehicles display a consistent, distinctive, and illuminated sign when the driver is active on the platform, prohibits unauthorized individuals from displaying a ride-share company’s logo with intent to pose as a driver, and directs the Government Accountability Office to report to Congress on assault and abuse incidents involving ride-share riders and drivers and on the effectiveness of safety measures.
Josephson’s parents, Seymour and Marci Josephson, founded the #WHATSMYNAME Foundation, which promotes the practice of asking a driver “What’s my name?” before getting into the car, and which also funds college scholarships and supports charitable organizations.20U.S. Rep. Chris Smith. WHATSMYNAME Foundation and Sami’s Law