What was supposed to be a milestone birthday celebration on Edisto Island ended in tragedy last October. Joyce Tomlinson, 61, of Minnesota, was on a girls’ trip with her best friend of nearly 50 years, Ruth Peterson, when a night at Coot’s Bar and Grill turned deadly. According to Peterson, bartender Mary Hunt grabbed Tomlinson by the throat and pushed her with both hands, sending her head-first down a flight of concrete stairs. Hunt told police Tomlinson was belligerent and fell on her own. Tomlinson suffered a severe head injury, underwent a craniotomy, and died three weeks later.
Prosecutors charged Hunt with voluntary manslaughter, a charge filed fewer than 100 times in the Lowcountry since 2020. More than half of the convictions in that period drew sentences of 20 years or more, which makes this case especially serious. Hunt was granted a $100,000 bond, but after violating its conditions, she is back in jail awaiting trial. The legal question at the center of it all is whether this was an act of aggression or an accident fueled by alcohol and chaos, and a jury will eventually have to decide.
For those of us here on the Suncoast, where tourists and locals mix in beach bars every season, the story hits close to home. A night out is supposed to be forgettable in the best way. This one ended a 50-year friendship and put two families in a courtroom. What do you think bars should do to keep late nights safe for everyone?
