Shivangi Sinha
The investigation into Gregory Rice’s death in October 2020 began with surveillance footage showing Christopher Dontell carrying suspicious items. However, authorities initially struggled to find a direct link between the Horry County Deputy Coroner and Rice. The case began to make sense only after investigators discovered Dontell’s ongoing affair with Maegan Jackson, Rice’s former partner and the mother of his children. This revelation helped police piece together the events leading to Rice’s murder. The case, along with details of Dontell’s eventual capture, was later featured in ABC’s ‘20/20’ episode ‘Driven to Death.’
Christopher Dontell Was Confronted About His Affair by His Wife
Christopher Allen Dontell married Erica Dontell in June 2015 and planned to make a quiet and stable life together. The couple settled in Conway, South Carolina, where he began working as a Deputy Coroner with the Horry County Coroner’s Office. They had children and appeared to be leading a happy, contented life. However, things changed around 2017 when Dontell met Meagan Jackson, who was working as a subcontractor for the coroner’s office. Their paths crossed frequently at work, and according to Dontell, she began visiting a Myrtle Beach restaurant he often dined at, leading to more encounters. During one of their outings in her work van, they shared their first kiss and soon it turned into an affair.
In December 2019, after Meagan separated from her longtime partner and father of her four children, Gregory Rice, she moved just a few houses down from the Dontell family home. Their children quickly became friends and Meagan eventually grew close to Erica as well. During her later testimony, the latter recalled that around this time, the couple was facing financial struggles, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic hit and they welcomed a newborn son. The stress took a toll on their home life and intimacy. Meanwhile, Dontell alleged that Meagan often accused her former partner, Gregory, of being abusive and mistreating her, which she said was the reason she had left him.
In September 2020, Meagan told Dontell that she was pregnant and expecting his child. On September 27, Erica received an anonymous text revealing details about her husband’s affair, which led her to confront both of them. Dontell denied everything, while Meagan claimed that Rice had sent the messages out of spite. According to Dontell, Meagan expressed fear that Rice might harm her or try to take her children away. On October 2, 2020, Dontell and Meagan went to the Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve, where they practiced shooting before having dinner at Abuelo’s restaurant near the Coastal Grand Mall. He later said that Meagan mentioned leaving something behind at the Myrtle Beach Funeral Home, where they had stopped earlier, and asked him to return there with her.
Christopher Dontell Claimed That He Had No Clue About Meagan Jackson’s Plans to Kill
According to Christopher Dontell’s testimony about that night, Meagan Jackson had arranged to meet Gregory Rice outside his apartment complex. He alleged that Rice was standing on the left side of the road, and Meagan asked him to make a U-turn and pull up beside him. Dontell alleged that at that moment, Meagan got out of the car and shot Rice. He claimed that he had no prior knowledge of her plan and merely followed her lead afterward. He said that he helped her place Rice’s body in the car, and they then stopped at a Lowe’s store, where Dontell purchased a tarp, zip ties, and cinder blocks. Afterward, they went to the funeral home, where they placed the remains inside a cooler labeled “hold for coroner” so that no one would open it. Dontell stated that they returned to the funeral home around 2 am because Meagan allegedly wanted to retrieve Rice’s personal belongings.
Dontell claimed that the day after the incident, Meagan told him she had suffered a miscarriage. He alleged that she coerced and threatened him into helping dispose of Rice’s remains, which he ultimately did at the Little Pee Dee River. By the end of October 2020, suspicion had begun to fall on Dontell, and on October 23, he was informed that he was under investigation and subsequently suspended from his position. The police had secured the surveillance footage at Lowe’s, where he was seen with the tarp and cinders, which were later found on Rice’s remains. His phone records, in corroborating with Meagan’s, were also admitted in evidence against him. In November 2020, he was officially arrested on charges connected to Rice’s murder and was set to face trial.
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Christopher Dontell Pleaded Guilty and is Behind Bars Today
Just a day before his trial was set to begin, in December 2024, Christopher Dontell entered a guilty plea to charges of criminal conspiracy to commit murder and accessory after the fact. As part of the plea agreement, the murder and kidnapping charges against him were dropped in exchange for his cooperation and testimony against Meagan Jackson. In June 2025, he took the stand to testify during Meagan’s trial. The following month, in July 2025, he was sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison. Now 42 years old, he is incarcerated at the Kirkland Correctional Institution in Columbia, South Carolina. He will become eligible for parole in 2026, with his projected release date currently set for 2033.
