David Earl Bender, 43, of West Columbia, was sentenced to 20 years in prison last month for assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature; 20 years is the maximum sentence for this charge.

“On September 24, 2024, Lexington County Detention Center declared a medical emergency after the victim was found injured inside his cell,” according to a release from the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department. “Investigators were able to determine that Bender and the victim were cell mates, and the incident occurred while Bender and the victim had been placed into the cell for the night. When investigators spoke to Bender, he advised them that the victim had fallen during a verbal argument over a detention center issued tablet.”

Most of the assault was audio captured by the tablet, as the device records audio when an inmate is using the phone application as Brewer was at the time. The jury heard the audio evidence at the trial.

“The victim was transported to an area hospital in critical condition. During the trial, the jury heard testimony that the victim suffered extensive physical injuries including major head trauma, facial fractures, multiple broken ribs, and a collapsed lung,” according to the release. “The victim had to be placed on a ventilator and spent over six months in the hospital before being released.”

Chief Administrative Judge Debra R. McCaslin presided over the jury trial and imposed the sentence while assistant solicitors Bruce H. Norton II and Melissa Moon oversaw the prosecution.

Bender’s prior convictions include aggravated assault, domestic violence, failure to stop for blue lights and resisting arrest.