Myrtle Beach man sentenced to life in prison for 2021 deadly stabbing of his neighbor

CONWAY, S.C. (WBTW) – Fifteenth Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson announced Friday that a Myrtle Beach man who was convicted in August 2021 for stabbing his neighbor to death was sentenced to life in prison.

Ismail Dickerson, 45, was convicted of murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime following a trial that began Tuesday and ended Friday afternoon, according to Dylan Bagnal, an assistant solicitor who prosecuted the case along with George DeBusk, a senior assistant solicitor, according to a news release by the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

The Honorable Circuit Court Judge Benjamin Culbertson presided over the trial and sentenced Dickerson to life in prison on the charges. He will not be eligible to be released from prison during his natural life, the release said.

Before the trial, Bagnal filed notice that he intended to seek life in prison without the possibility of parole for Dickerson based on his previous record, which included prior convictions for a most serious offense and several serious offenses, according to the release.

On Aug. 17, 2021, authorities found Freddie Matthews Jr. 38, of Myrtle Beach stabbed inside a home on Dunbar Street. Mathews later died at an area hospital where he was taken for treatment. Dickerson was taken into police custody shortly after the incident, the release said.

“The Myrtle Beach Police Department did a fantastic job in this case with their swift apprehension of the defendant and their investigation into the crime,” Bagnal said in the release. “We hope now Mr. Mathews’ family has some closure in the case.”