Suspect in cold-case murder in Georgia makes first court appearance in South Carolina
A suspect who spent 17 years on the run after an alleged murder will soon return to Georgia to face his charges.
Alvin Shane Barfield, 47, was in an Horry County, South Carolina, courtroom on Friday morning for his extradition hearing. He was arrested in Myrtle Beach on Thursday and charged in connection to the killing of Albert Woolfolk near Columbus, Georgia, in 2003.
Barfield was taken to J. Reuben Long Detention Center after his arrest. During a hearing at the jail, Barfield agreed to wave his extradition back to the Columbus area.
Georgia authorities will now have 20 days to take custody of Barfield and bring him back to the state.
Barfield didn’t speak during the hearing other than to ask if he was being given a lawyer. The judge explained an attorney was only necessary if Barfield wanted to fight extradition and when he returned to Georgia, he would get a lawyer.
Myrtle Beach police, Georgia police and U.S. Marshals arrested Barfield in Myrtle Beach. Columbus police named him one of the area’s most wanted last week and then identified him as Woolfolk’s killer.
Last year, police announced new leads in the case after a witness detailed Woolfolk leaving the bar with a regular patron known to be a belligerent, heavy drinker.
Thirty-four hours passed before Woolfolk’s mother and a worker for his aluminum siding company found the 45-year-old dead at his home. Woolfork was stabbed multiple times, according to police.
His wife and newborn baby were not at home when he was killed.
This story was originally published January 22, 2021 at 11:45 AM with the headline "Suspect in cold-case murder in Georgia makes first court appearance in South Carolina."
