Florence Woman Arrested in Connection to Killing of Darlington County Deputy Sheriff
FLORENCE, SC / October 9, 2025 —The FBI Columbia Field Office and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) arrested Kristen Taylor Porter, 29, of Florence, South Carolina, today after a five-count grand jury indictment, relating to the July 1 murder of Darlington County Deputy Frank “Devin” Mason.
Porter is charged with making false statements in connection with the February and March 2025 purchases of four firearms and knowingly providing one of those firearms to a federally prohibited person, Cameron Dennett.
According to the indictment, Dennett is alleged to have later used one of these firearms during the fatal shooting of Deputy Mason and wounding of Deputy Jacob Heatherly of the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office.
The indictment charges that Porter lied when purchasing four firearms from a federally licensed firearms dealer by falsely affirming that she was the actual transferee/buyer of all the firearms when, in fact, she was purchasing at least some the firearms for others. Additionally, it charges that Porter illegally supplied a gun to Dennett knowing that he could not lawfully possess the weapon.
“I would like to thank SLED, the FBI, and the United States Attorney’s Office for their rapid response to this very serious matter, a case that involved taking the life of a Deputy and the wounding of another in the line of duty,” said Darlington County Sheriff Michael August. “This investigation and prosecution send a very clear message that anyone involved in causing harm to members of law enforcement—officers who protect our communities every day—that swift justice will follow.”
The case was jointly investigated by FBI Columbia and SLED. Senior Litigation Counsel Everett McMillian of the Florence United States Attorney’s Office is handling the prosecution.
FBI Columbia
Public Affairs Officer Kevin Wheeler
803-551-4200 - columbiamedia@fbi.gov
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
