Pattern of abuse led up to 18-year-old’s domestic violence death

GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - It’s a spring day in early May, and 18-year-old Genesys Rice is spending it with those she loves the most in Unity Park: her two daughters and her parents.

“It was a day full of laughter and joy and just playing games,” Rice’s stepdad Antwoine Hendricks said.

Just a few days later, Rice was dead.

Simpsonville police found her in her bed at her apartment. The coroner’s report said she was in the head.

The next day, police charged 22-year-old Akevius Lindsey with her murder.

Lindsey is the father of Rice’s youngest daughter, who is only a few months old.

“We met him. He’s come in our house, and we just looked at it like any other relationship,” Antwoine said. “[We] never knew that this was the man that was going to take our daughter’s life.”

Rice’s mom, Lisandra Hendricks, said her daughter was thriving. She’d just moved into an apartment with her two girls and landed a good job she loved.

“She was really at a point in her life where she was really just accomplishing a lot,” Lisandra said.

But there were some parts of her life Rice kept secret.

“She wanted us to be proud,” Antwoine said. “That’s why she didn’t mention a lot of stuff that went on.”

Lindsey’s arrest warrants revealed a pattern of abuse, with one incident happening just four days before Rice was killed.

Records from the Simpsonville Police Department said Lindsey grabbed Rice by the leg, leaving a mark. But the last line made us dig deeper, “Akevius has one prior conviction of domestic violence in 2022.”

We found the case from last October through the 8th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

The incident report said Rice and Lindsey began arguing about how he damaged her car in the middle of Highway 76 in Laurens County. A third person in the vehicle tried to force Lindsey out.

That’s when, the report said, Lindsey “punched [Rice] in the face, slammed her into the car multiple times, and then strangled her.”

At the time, Rice was six months pregnant.

“In hindsight, this one hits a little different,” victim advocate Lauren Powers said, rereading Rice’s file.

Powers met Rice when the solicitor’s office began prosecuting Lindsey following the incident on Highway 76.

Lindsey was charged with domestic violence in the second degree. The case file said Rice initially wanted to press charges but changed her mind.

Powers read us her handwritten affidavit asking the solicitor’s office to dismiss the charges:

“I want to drop the charges because he is still young, dumb and still learning. Hopefully, he will get the help he needs. At the end of the day, this could have been avoided. If I’m being completely honest I wouldn’t have done anything about the situation if [she] hadn’t called the authorities.”

Powers said she’s met with many victims, but this is the first time a case has ended like this.

“It’s hard to deal with. There aren’t really any words, but it does make me want to fight harder,” Powers said.

Lindsey pled guilty and got a two-year probation sentence. Four months later, he was charged with murder.

For Rice’s family, the little memories stand out the most.

“Her coming in the door saying, ‘Hey y’all,’” Lisandra said. “Or coming to lay on my lap asking me to scratch her scalp, scratch her back.”

Less than two weeks after losing Rice, they are still figuring out how to move forward.

She isn’t letting the death of Rice define her life, but Lisandra has a message for women who might be in the same situation as her daughter.

“As much as you may not want to expose what’s going on, I think it’s important to speak. To at least have someone know and to find help,” Lisandra said.

If you or someone you know needs help, you can contact the following organizations any time of day:

• Laurens County Safe Home: 800-799-7233
• Safe Harbor: 800-291-2139
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233

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