Clemson suspect captured on film

Pictures taken when man tried to get cash using homicide victim's ATM card

By LAUREN LEACH

leleach@thestate.com

AP Photo

A photo released by prosecutor Bob Ariail during a news conference Friday at the Greenville County courthouse, shows a suspect in the death of Clemson University student Tiffany Marie Souers. The photo was captured by an ATM machine where the man, who had covered most of his face with bandannas, tried unsuccessfully to use Souers' bank card.

GREENVILLE — The strangulation of a Clemson junior “appears to be a sexually motivated event,” said a prosecutor, who on Friday released a profile and photos of the suspect using the victim’s ATM card shortly after she was slain.

Officers are looking for a white man who is believed to be 20 to 25 years old.

Prosecutor Bob Ariail would not confirm that Tiffany Marie Souers, 20, was sexually assaulted before she was killed May 26. When asked if he knew if a sexual assault took place, Ariail said, “I probably do.”

He said tests had not indicated Souers was sexually assaulted and more tests were being done.

Ariail showed a series of enhanced photos taken at a bank ATM of a man wearing a bandanna around his head and another bandanna over his mouth.

The bandanna around his head had a design resembling a cross that looked like arrowheads — a very distinctive mark, Ariail said. Because of what the man was wearing and that he was using Souers’ ATM card on the day of her death, “We think this is the guy,” Ariail said.

In one of the black and white photos, the man’s hand is extended, holding the ATM card. The design on the bandanna is clearly visible in another.

Ariail declined to say whether anything else was taken from Souers’ apartment or whether he believed the woman might have known her attacker. He also would not say whether the apartment doors were locked.

One of Souers’ friends who had dinner with her the night before the killing said she didn’t recognize the suspect.

“We didn’t know anyone with a bandanna, ... no one that we ever hung out with,” said Erica Cooler, 20.

Ariail would not comment when asked if Souers’ death was connected to an arrest made involving a sexual assault at her apartment complex in April. Stephen David Kudika Jr., 25, faces first-degree criminal sexual conduct charges in an attack at The Reserve Apartments in Central on April 20, according to an arrest warrant. He was arrested Wednesday.

Souers, a junior majoring in civil engineering, was found dead and partially clad in her ground floor apartment at The Reserve at Clemson, a complex a few miles away from the university in Central. She had been strangled with a bikini top.

Ariail also released photos of sport utility vehicles similar to the one the suspect was driving at the time of the killing — a 1982 to 1994 two-door Chevrolet or GMC. Portions of the vehicle were visible on the bank surveillance camera.

The man tried to use Souers’ ATM card at SunTrust four times and Wachovia twice, Ariail said. Both banks are on Tiger Boulevard in Clemson. The man was unsuccessful in obtaining money, the prosecutor said.

In a profile compiled by a behavioral specialist, the suspect is described as being consumed by the crime and will probably exhibit such changes in behavior as eating or sleeping habits or drug and alcohol consumption, Ariail said. Because the man has “demonstrated his ability to be very dangerous,” he poses a threat to other women, as well as his friends and relatives, he said.

“The scary thing is that this is such a small town,” said Arin Heaton, a 19-year-old sophomore. But “I think the chances of him doing something again are kind of slim.”

Also Friday, Souers’ driver’s license was found about six miles from Clemson.

The owner of a towing business near Pendleton said he called authorities around 10 a.m. after James Lindsey of Pendleton came in with a driver’s license he had found on the side of the road.

“He wanted me to turn the license in,” Dan Baker said. “He was scared.”

Baker turned in the license and a small bag Lindsey found farther down U.S. 76 just inside Anderson County, Baker said.

The solicitor’s office has had the bank photos a couple of days, Ariail said, but waited for the State Law Enforcement Division to enhance them before releasing the photos. Officials also had to consult with GM officials to find out more about the vehicle involved, he said.

The prosecutor said it is likely someone saw the suspect or something significant the night of the slaying. Or someone might have seen the suspect wear the distinctive bandannas at a fraternity party or a Halloween gala.

Attempts to reach the Souers family Friday were unsuccessful.

Reach Leach at (803) 771-8549. The Associated Press contributed.