YORK, S.C. — A man sentenced to 20 years in prison nearly two years ago for shooting his stepfather has had his conviction overturned.

A jury found Thurman O’Neil Smith Jr. guilty of voluntary manslaughter in February 2003. Smith was charged with shooting George Moss in the neck after one of his daughters said Moss molested her years earlier.

But the state Court of Appeals ruled Monday jurors should have never been allowed to consider that charge because the evidence in the trial did not support it.

Five portable water units

from nonprofit now in Sri Lanka

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Five portable water treatment units from South Carolina-based Water Missions International arrived in Sri Lanka on Sunday to provide fresh water for tsunami victims, the organization said.

Four more of the units, each of which can treat 10,000 gallons of water a day, are en route to Indonesia from the charity’s headquarters in Charleston.

Since last month’s tsunami, which killed an estimated 150,000 people, Water Missions has received requests for 100 of the water purification units.

Man moved from jail

where he fought with guards

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Georgetown County has moved a man who fought with guards at its jail to Williamsburg County for his protection.

Travis Orange, 18, of Loris had been charged with murder and armed robbery in Williamsburg County. He was being held in the Georgetown County jail after other suspects in the case threatened him, said Williamsburg Chief Deputy Dwayne Wilson.

Judge hears appeal

in death penalty case

ORANGEBURG, S.C. — Attorneys argued that death row inmate Thomas T. Ivey deserves a new trial in one of his murder convictions because one of his attorneys was friends with one of his victims.

Ivey, 30, was convicted and sentenced to death in two separate trials in the 1993 killings of an Orangeburg police officer and a Columbia businessman.

His attorneys at a post-conviction relief hearing Monday said a defense attorney at Ivey’s second trial should have been dismissed because the attorney was personal friends with the victim in Ivey’s first trial.

Orangeburg County Chief Public defender Michael Culler had asked to be removed as an attorney for a woman charged with forgery in connection with the shooting death of Orangeburg police Sgt. Tommy Harrison. Attorney Wayne Floyd said Culler asked to be removed because he was a personal friend of Harrison.

Ivey was convicted of killing Harrison.

When Ivey later went on trial in the shooting death of Columbia businessman Robert Montgomery, Culler was appointed as one of his attorneys.

Floyd, who is representing Ivey in his appeal, argued that Culler’s appointment was a conflict of interest and that Culler never mentioned being friends with Harrison to the lead attorney on Ivey’s second case.