Rumors of restauranteur and convicted killer Greg Leon dying in the Kirkland Correctional Institution located just north of Columbia, South Carolina, have appeared online. Leon went viral after it was found that he fatally shot his wife’s much younger lover. The 55-year-old received a sentence of 30 years behind bars. Despite claims of him passing away appearing online, they are far from the truth, and sources have confirmed that he is alive.
One of the many outlets who claimed that Greg Leon had passed away was The Lexington Ledger. They took to Facebook and stated that he was “found deceased” in prison. The aforementioned social media post read:
“BREAKING NEWS: Greg Leon, a well-known Lexington restaurant owner who was recently convicted of murdering his wife’s lover, has been found deceased in the SCDC. No details have been released as of yet.”
However, sources have announced that he is still alive.
Greg Leon did not die
Rumors of his passing are false. According to Fits News, a source close to Leon took to social media to announce that The Lexington Ledger’s report was “false.” They also revealed that the prisoner is alive but “on life support at Prisma,” a local hospital.
Corroborating the same, a VineLink notification noted that Greg Leon was “transferred” from the SCDC to a “hospital/ medical treatment facility.” VineLink allows one to track inmates.
Hence, it is safe to say that the publication’s reports are false and that Leon is still alive. Had he died, reports of the same would have been made available online from credible sources.
What did Greg Leon do?
On February 14, 2016, Leon and his wife Rachel went for a family dinner and went on to part ways for the night. However, weeks prior, the former had placed a tracker under the hood of his wife’s Mercedes SUV.
After they separated for the night, Leon noted that the tracker on his wife’s vehicle indicated that she was at an Interstate 26 and US 378 parking lot. Once he reached the destination, he pulled out his revolver and fired three shots at his wife’s vehicle’s door. This led to Rachel’s 28-year-old lover Arturo Bravo Santos dying.
Investigators found the victim’s body lying face down. He was also wearing nothing but socks.
Damning evidence was brought forward during Greg Leon’s trial. A 911 call he made just 11 minutes after the shooting came to light. In the call, he admitted:
“I shot my wife and her lover, dude”
His wife Rachel did not take the stand during the trial.
Rachel and Greg ran several San Jose Mexican restaurants, which have since been handed over to children. During the latter’s trial, several family members and friends spoke highly of Greg’s character on the day of sentencing.
However, after two and a half hours of deliberation, the 12-panel jury unanimously decided that Leon was guilty of both murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
Greg was handcuffed as his two adult sons sat in the courtroom.