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ST. GEORGE -- Murder charges against the remaining two suspects in a fatal home invasion in Dorchester County last year have been dropped after the first suspect to go to trial was acquitted Wednesday.

Desmin Lamont Fludd, 31, was found not guilty in the murder of Jeffrey Brice, 30, of 305 Hudson Road. Fludd, his half-brother Donelle Williams and friend Bernard Riley were all arrested last year and charged in the killing. Brice was shot multiple times when intruders kicked in the door of the house he shared with his mother Fanny Brice in the early hours of June 5, 2002.

First Circuit Senior Assistant Solicitor Harrison Bell, who prosecuted the case against Fludd, said Thursday that charges against Williams and Riley were dropped.

He said Fludd was tried first because "there was evidence in this case that wouldn't come out in the other two cases," and he felt it was the strongest of the three cases.

During the trial, Bell charged that "the hand of one is the hand of all," and if Fludd had been present at the invasion and shooting, he would also be guilty of the murder.

Reports that Fludd is planning to file suit for an unlawful arrest for murder could not be confirmed on Thursday.

In court on Wednesday, detectives testified they had several tips in the case last summer, which they all cleared, when Fludd's sister and her friend gave them information that Desmin knew who committed the murder.

Nikita Fludd, the sister, testified at trial that her brother called and demanded money, threatening to go to authorities and identify the murderer. The sister's friend, Tonya Pringle, testified that she also heard the phone call demanding money.

Desmin Fludd came from New York to look for work and a house for his family after losing his job in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He returned north on June 8.

In jail since last August, Fludd was kept in maximum security, and on Wednesday he testified in his own defense. He told the jury that he wasn't in St. George last June, he didn't know the victim and he didn't have any knowledge of the murder. He denied each piece of evidence the prosecutor submitted, and the jury took only an hour and a half to come back with the verdict of not guilty.

St. George attorney Gene Dukes acted as a public defender for Fludd, and his office could not confirm any lawsuit alleging unlawful arrest. They believe Fludd has already left for his home in New York, where his wife and three children live.

Asked about a lawsuit by Fludd, Bell said, "Anybody can sue. If he does bring a charge, it won't be the first time, and I'm sure it won't be the last."

The solicitor's office had probable cause and evidence, and Bell said he thought the sister's and friend's testimony was reliable. The Dorchester County Sheriff's Department did a good job on the investigation, he said.

Dorchester County Sheriff Ray Nash said he doesn't see any liability for his department, since the legal condition for an arrest is probable cause, while the qualification for a conviction is proof beyond a reasonable doubt. He said that in making the arrest, his office acted on an arrest warrant approved by a judge and that Fludd went to trial after the grand jury sent down a murder indictment against him.

"A lot of people that are found not guilty talk about bringing a lawsuit," Nash said Thursday. "Few follow through with that, and even fewer prevail in court."

T&D Correspondent Stephanie Pietrowski can be reached by e-mail at SPietro122@aol.com or by phone at 843-636-9005.

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