A man sentenced to death for robbing and killing two Burger King employees in Horry County will get a new sentencing hearing.
The state Supreme Court ruled Angle Joe Perrie Vasquez's attorney should have objected when the prosecutor called it a "case of domestic terrorism."
The trial was just after the second anniversary of 9/11. Vasquez is a Muslim.
Vasquez was sentenced to death for the shooting deaths of Burger King manager Joey Williams and employee Kuma Walker.
That Burger King is no longer open. It was near Fantasy Harbor in Horry County.
According to court testimony, on March 26, 2002, Vasquez was fired from the Burger King restaurant by Williams for using profanity in front of a customer. Vasquez came back to the restaurant at closing time with his cousin, Michael Keith Howard.
Vasquez pulled out a gun and ordered two employees into the restaurant's freezer. He locked them into the freezer, but they were able to escape about five minutes later.
According to investigators, Vasquez then took the manager, Joey Williams, and another employee, Kuma Walker, into the freezer and shot them both in the head.
When investigating the scene, police discovered that $737 had been stolen from the restaurant.
At the conclusion of the trial, the jury convicted Vasquez of two counts of murder, four counts of kidnapping, one count of armed robbery, and one count of criminal conspiracy.
Howard is serving a 20 year sentence for armed robbery.
The state Supreme Court upheld Vasquez's convictions. A new sentencing hearing has not been set.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
