Murdaugh trial star Kinsey retiring as chief deputy

Although he’s well-known in many Orangeburg County circles, Kinsey gained national fame as a star expert witness in the double murder trial of disbarred Hampton County attorney Richard Alexander “Alex” Murdaugh in the spring.

Last month, Kinsey was named S.C. Deputy of the Year at the S.C. Sheriffs’ Association’s annual meeting held in Myrtle Beach.

“It was quite an honor,” Kinsey said. “It was absolutely one of the highest honors of my career.”

“I have a lot of respect for the men and women that hold the sheriff position, elected sheriffs in South Carolina,” he said.

“You’ve got some old-time sheriffs and some new sheriffs and they have always treated me with the utmost respect and I’ve learned a lot from those men and women,” he said.

Kinsey said he was nominated for the award for his role in the Murdaugh trial.

The state hired Kinsey to give expert opinions about the crime scene and evidence presented at trial.

“My part in the trial and everything, like I’ve said before, I was one spoke on a big wheel. I just never wanted those other agencies to be forgotten or looked over and it was one heck of an honor to be nominated and to be supported by the sheriff,” he said.

Just before Kinsey was formally presented the award at the conference, a video was shown in his honor.

“They really got me with the video,” he said.

Those who were featured in the video included, in part, his wife, daughter, son, S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson and Creighton Waters, the chief prosecutor for the S.C. Grand Jury.

“And then being nominated by my boss and friend, (Orangeburg County) Sheriff Leroy Ravenell, it hit me below the belt for just a second and I could probably say that’s the only time in 30-plus years that emotions have impaired my ability to speak,” he said.

“It kind of neutralized me for a little while, but it definitely is a place of honor in my heart and I’m very appreciative of it,” he said.

Kinsey has been considering retirement from the public sector for several months, but decided that now was the right time to transition to dedicate himself to his private business, Kenny Kinsey & Associates LLC.

He’s also looking forward to making up for lost time with his family.

“Everybody has a season, and I’m so fortunate to make it to this point and still have my health,” he said.

“My mother has passed; my father is still in pretty good health, and I just wanted some time to enjoy my family,” he added.

“My new endeavor, Kenny Kinsey & Associates – I’ve been so blessed with the outpouring of support from the law enforcement profession, the public, attorneys – and I just feel like it’s time for a new chapter,” he said.

“I’ve always said I would not be the kind of officer or leader that you would have to cart me out of here on wheels,” he added.

“I just think it’s a great time to make a good break, and I’ve missed so much; my kids have missed so much. It’s time to make up for some of that,” Kinsey said.

Kinsey’s law enforcement career began just after he graduated from Clemson University.

He said it was around the time of Desert Storm and Desert Shield when the federal government had a temporary hiring freeze, thwarting his goal of becoming a deputy U.S. marshal.

“So I got upset with the situation, and I came back and worked for a beverage company,” he said, noting that he delivered beer to businesses mainly in Orangeburg County and a few outlying areas during the summer.

“It was just an opportunity and real good pay at the time,” he said, noting that his part-time summer job later turned into a full-time job.

Kinsey said he eventually ran into a good friend, Rodney Barr, who ended up being the captain of the reserve unit at the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office.

At the time, Barr was working part-time with the OCSO.

“Rodney, actually with the help of some other elders, I guess you would say, in the field – most who have passed on now – they accepted me into the reserve and Sheriff (C.R. “Smitty”) Smith, at the time, was gracious enough to let me in the reserve and it kind of snowballed from there,” Kinsey said.

“But the struggle grew more and more and more. I’d hit the floor every morning at 3:30 a.m., go to drive that truck and I’d look at that deputy uniform. It just got to the point where I couldn’t struggle with it anymore and I’ve never looked back,” he said.

Kinsey’s parents also had careers in law enforcement.

He describes his father as an “old-time fireman” who worked 24 hours on and then 24 hours off.

When the public safety concept came along – which employs those who are both certified law enforcement officers and firefighters – Kinsey’s father worked as an officer, in addition to firefighting, at the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety.

“He had a very good career in public safety,” Kinsey said.

Kinsey’s mother started her career in law enforcement a little later, he said.

His mother first worked as a dispatcher and it evolved into an officer position. She worked the better part of her career at the Hampton Police Department, Kinsey said.

“I would change very little of the last 30-something years,” he said.

“In late 1991 or 1992 when I started walking the halls of this building, I never expected to have a career like I’ve had,” he added.

Kinsey said he’s leaving the sheriff’s office in great shape too.

“The foundation here at the sheriff’s office, these great men and women, the great leadership – they’re going to be OK,” he said.

“I’ve got all faith in God above that I’m going to be OK also,” he added.

Kinsey said he’s not going to say “never” about working in law enforcement again.

“If a sheriff or police chief or solicitor – and I’ve had some reach out – if they call me, I’m going to help,” he said.

“I’m going to quit carrying a badge and a gun. I do it very rarely now, but I’m always still here and I’m always law enforcement at heart,” he said.

“The benefit of working for myself now, I’m always going to say what I believe is the truth. I’m going to go by the evident and the results. I can be wrong. I can be wrong just like everyone else, but if I am wrong, it’s because I just made a mistake,” he explained.

“Law enforcement, for the most part, is almost 700,000 men and women in this country that do the right thing day after day after day. You’ve got a couple of knuckleheads that make us all look bad,” he said.

“I’m going to tell the truth. If it’s in support of law enforcement, I will go down with them swinging; if it’s something that I feel evidence-based they’ve made a mistake, then I have no problem doing what I have to do. But I have to sleep at night, and I’m going to tell what I believe to be the truth,” he said, referring to aspects of his consulting company that, in part, analyze use-of-force incidents and law enforcement cases.

“You see acts of humanity every day in this job, and it’s hard to even keep track of it. Because of a couple of knuckleheads, sometimes we look bad, but as a profession, I truly believe this: We are ordained by God and I truly believe that the majority of the men and women that wear the badge and gun, they have hearts of gold. And sometimes we have little hiccups,” he said.

“Sometimes we outright mess up, but for the most part, I think we do great justice for humanity,” Kinsey said.

Kinsey’s official retirement date is Sept. 30.