Not often do you hear a convicted person waiving off their right to parole. However, it happened. Johnnie Ken Register was convicted of killing a student in Conway in 1991 and he officially waived his right for any parole. This hearing was scheduled in 2022 and the news was confirmed by the South Carolina Department of Probation.

What Happened in 1991?

Crystal Faye Todd, a 17-year-old student, disappeared and was later murdered in 1991. Ken Register was convicted of the murder in 1992 when he was only 18. DNA evidence was used for the first time in a case in South Carolina, which helped link Register to the case. He was amongst more than 50 people whose DNA was taken for testing.

It was Register’s DNA that matched with the evidence found near the crime scene. He was also a close-knit member of the Todd family before she disappeared. Todd’s family members have filed several petitions to ensure he doesn’t get out on bail since that day.

Ken was charged with murder, kidnapping, indecent exposure, buggery, and criminal sexual conduct. As of today, he is facing several life sentences related to murder, kidnapping, and other charges. He is kept at Broad River Correctional Institute of Columbia. He is supposed to get his next parole date in Feb 2024.

People’s Reaction

Around 50, Ken is expected to have his subsequent parole hearing this year. In 2022, over 2700 people filed a petition before his parole hearing asking not to grant him parole. People even called him a monster and a threat to society who should be behind bars. 

Even Register’s attorney was surprised to know that he refused to go in front of the parole board in 2022. As per him, the people convicted of murder do not usually get parole on the first or even the second attempt, but you never know how the parole board may react.

Moreover, as per the latest laws, parole will not reduce his life sentence as it used to happen in the past when he was convicted. Today, if someone is sentenced to life, they will remain imprisoned only. He was incarcerated in 1993 after the murder of Crystal Fade Todd, who was also his friend. 

Although a lot of people also came forward to claim he was innocent, however, at each step, he was found guilty. Crystal was the only child, and her mother was brokenhearted when they came to know it was Register who killed her daughter. As per her mother, Crystal was not interested in having a relationship with Register, so he forced himself on her.

As to the police, it was one of the most intense cases they had investigated. It was also called the most brutal crime in Horry County history. Ken stabbed Todd 35 times before she stumbled to death. Out of which, three were in her head, and one hit her brain. She was almost severed in the head and disemboweled. Two deer hunters discovered her disfigured body in a ditch beside a gravel road.

Ken Register is still in prison, awaiting his next parole date. Will he take or refuse as he did the last time? It will be something to wait and watch.