Terry Fetner, better known as Dale, was forty-four years old and owned a contracting business in Greenville, South Carolina. He was a large, physically imposing man, but easygoing and friendly, by all accounts. He was twice divorced, and in late 2000, was living alone in the newly built Azalea Hill apartment complex on the well-to-do Eastside of Greenville.
Dale had spent the Thanksgiving holiday with his family, and on the ensuing weekend, he had driven up to Saluda, North Carolina, where he was working on his mountain home.
He drove back to Greenville on Sunday, November 26th, and at six-thirty p.m., stopped at an Arby’s fast-food restaurant to pick up some dinner. He then made his way back to his apartment.
Shortly after parking his work van in the lot of the complex and making his way up to his door, however, he was brutally attacked.
A neighbor stumbled across Dale’s prone body, lying face down in a pool of blood, shortly after eight p.m. When police officers arrived, they could clearly see that Dale had put up a desperate struggle against his killer, for there were defensive wounds all over his hands and arms. Sadly, though, he had not been able to fend off the assailant, and died of fifteen stab wounds in his face, chest, abdomen, and lower back.
Dale’s wallet, keys, and vehicle were untouched, suggesting that robbery had not been the motive. A few other items were found at the scene, but authorities would not disclose what they were, as they may have belonged to the killer. They also did not specify the kind of knife which had been used to stab the victim.
During the investigation, it came to light that Dale’s former house on Bennett Street was damaged in a fire that detectives deemed suspicious. It was this event in July of 2000, in fact, which had forced Dale to move into the apartment complex where he was eventually murdered. There was rampant speculation that whoever set the fire might have been involved in Dale’s slaying, but leads along those lines were not fruitful.
Due to Dale’s work as a contractor, he had hundreds of contacts, meaning that police had their hands full interviewing potential witnesses and suspects. Despite all their efforts, however, the murder of Dale Fetner is still a frustrating mystery, twenty-five years later.
Crime Immemorial 