[UPDATED, 1/3/22] Well-known Charleston defense attorney David Aylor was found dead Monday morning in his Lowndes Pointe Drive home by a roommate, Charleston County Coroner Bobbi Jo O’Neal confirmed late Monday afternoon.
No foul play is suspected, she said, adding that an autopsy would be performed. “We won’t have all of the tests back for a couple of weeks,” she said.
According to a news release, “The cause and manner of death are pending at this time.”
Aylor, who received a law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2006 and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the College of Charleston four years earlier, began practicing law in the Lowcountry and Grand Strand in 2007, according to his business biography.
Late Monday, his firm offered a statement on its website:
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our firm’s leader and namesake, David Aylor. David started this firm 14 years ago as a sole practitioner in shared office space and grew it into the successful 22-person firm it is today.
“David was known for his generous and helpful spirit. He cared deeply for his employees and clients. He treated us all like family. David’s legacy of grit, hard work, and community focus remains and will continue to guide us.
“We are all heartbroken to no longer work alongside David, but he left the firm with a strong succession plan and a talented team who will continue providing top notch representation and service to the firm’s clients.”
Through the years, Aylor also acted as the prosecutor for the City of Hanahan and previously served as Charleston County’s assistant solicitor in the Ninth Circuit Solicitor’s Office, according to his law office’s website.
Aylor’s website says he also clerked for other prominent Charleston figures including U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert S. Carr, Charleston criminal attorney Andy Savage and for the S.C. Senate Judiciary Committee under former state Sen. Glenn McConnell, a Charleston Republican who later became lieutenant governor and president of the College of Charleston.
Aylor was in the news last month after federal prosecutors dropped an October complaint that sought to get him publicly reprimanded for disobeying a court order on circulating evidence. In December, prosecutors conceded he didn’t violate ethics rules.
This story is developing. More information will be provided as it becomes available.
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