Matthew Richard Mahorsky
BLAIR – The Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office officially charged Matthew Richard Mahorsky, 40, with two counts of murder Tuesday morning after the bodies of his parents, Ruth Marion Mahorsky, 70, and Richard F. Mahorsky, 71, were found shot to death Monday outside their home at 80 Highway 215 S. in Blair, near the intersection of Highway 34. Matthew Mahorsky is also charged with possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime.
The Sheriff’s Office said a security check of the property was conducted Monday morning after Marion Mahorsky failed to show up at work at Provident Bank in Winnsboro and co-workers were unable to reach anyone at the home by phone. At 9:15 a.m. Monday, a deputy arrived at the home and immediately spotted a body, with obvious signs of massive trauma, lying in the driveway. The deputy backed out of the drive, secured the area and called for backup. When the Special Response Team arrived moments later, a second body was discovered nearby, between the first body and the house. Both had been dead for some time, the Sheriff’s Office said, and it was later determined that both had been shot some time late Sunday afternoon.
The first victim was later identified as Marion Mahorsky, while the body located closer to the house was identified as that of her husband, Richard F. Mahorsky. Both victims had been shot through the head with a high-powered rifle, the Sheriff’s Office said. Several weapons, including a high-powered rifle, were recovered from the home. An autopsy was being conducted at press time to determine the number of times the victims were shot, while the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) is analyzing the weapons seized from the home. Keith Lewis, Chief Deputy of the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office, said witnesses in the neighborhood reported hearing three shots fired late Sunday afternoon and several shell casings were recovered from the scene.
Approximately 10 minutes after the Sheriff’s Office secured the perimeter, Matthew Mahorsky emerged from the home through the garage, unarmed, and surrendered to deputies without incident. He was held for questioning as a person of interest for approximately 24 hours before being charged. Lewis said Matthew Mahorsky made several comments during questioning that led to the charges, including telling investigators where they could find the suspected murder weapon, a Remington model 700 .308, which was being tested by SLED at press time.
Matthew Mahorsky was previously arrested on a pointing and presenting a firearm charge following an altercation with his father in 2004. During that incident, Lewis said, Mahorsky pointed a handgun at his father’s head and threatened to kill him before his mother managed to calm him down. When deputies responded to that incident, Lewis said, they were told then that Matthew had a history of mental illness. He received a one-year suspended sentence with three years’ probation in the 2004 incident.
Lewis said there was no evidence that Matthew Mahorsky was using alcohol at the time of the shooting, but a bottle of prescription medication, used to treat schizophrenia and bearing Matthew Mahorsky’s name, was recovered from the home.
“This is a terrible and senseless tragedy,” Fairfield County Sheriff Herman Young said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the Mahorsky family and friends.”
