Trial begins for man accused of killing 80-year-old woman Marion County woman in March 2021

FLORENCE, S.C. (WBTW) — A trial began Wednesday morning in U.S. District Court in Florence for a man accused of kidnapping and killing an 80-year-old Marion County woman in March 2021.

Dominique Brand is accused of shooting and killing Mary Ann Elvington after allegedly kidnapping her from her home in Nichols and then holding her at gunpoint in her car and forcing her to drive to North Carolina before shooting her with a shotgun behind an abandoned grocery store in Marion County.

Elvington’s body was found on Zion Road near Zion Grocery about 10 miles from where her vehicle was found, authorities said.

A final pre-trial hearing in the case was held on Thursday.

Brand chose in August to have a bench trial instead of a jury trial, meaning a judge is hearing the evidence in the case and will decide the outcome of the trial, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

He was charged in a three-count federal indictment with kidnapping resulting in death, carjacking resulting in death and use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in the death of a person in such a manner to constitute murder.

News13 has a reporter in the courtroom and this story will be updated throughout Wednesday’s proceedings. A livestream of the trial is not available because cameras are not permitted in federal courtrooms.

Count on News13 for updates to this developing story.