A South Carolina bartender is facing a voluntary manslaughter charge after authorities say she shoved a Minnesota tourist down a flight of concrete stairs at a beach bar, causing a catastrophic head injury that ultimately killed her.
Mary Hunt, 68, is accused in the death of 62-year-old Joyce Tomlinson, who had traveled to Edisto Island for what was supposed to be a birthday trip with her best friend of nearly 50 years.
The two women were celebrating turning 62 when they went to Coot’s Bar & Grill on Oct. 3, 2025.
According to investigators, Tomlinson and her longtime friend Ruth Peterson decided to leave shortly after 10 p.m.
Peterson went to get the car while Tomlinson stayed behind to pay the bill.
Then came the moment that changed everything.
Peterson said she turned around and saw Tomlinson heading toward the stairs.
She claims Hunt suddenly ran toward her friend and shoved her hard in the back with both hands.
Tomlinson reportedly went over the stairs headfirst without touching the steps before slamming onto a concrete slab below.
Peterson rushed to her side and immediately realized the situation was dire.
She said Tomlinson was bleeding from her ears and mouth and appeared to have suffered a devastating head injury.
Emergency crews rushed Tomlinson to the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, where doctors performed a craniotomy in an effort to relieve swelling on her brain.
She remained in critical condition.
Three weeks later, Tomlinson died.
The case then became a homicide investigation.
According to the probable cause affidavit, at least one witness told police Hunt and Tomlinson had been arguing before the fall.
The witness allegedly said Hunt grabbed Tomlinson around the neck and tried to force her outside before the fatal shove.
Hunt has denied that version of events.
She told police Tomlinson had been drunk and belligerent inside the bar and claimed the woman fell down the stairs on her own.
Peterson strongly disputed that characterization of her friend, describing Tomlinson as quiet and non-confrontational.
Hunt was arrested in September 2026 and charged with voluntary manslaughter.
That charge is significant because, under South Carolina law, voluntary manslaughter generally involves an unlawful killing carried out in the heat of passion after sufficient legal provocation.
If convicted, Hunt faces between two and 30 years in prison.
Local reporting also found that the charge is relatively uncommon in the region, with fewer than 100 voluntary manslaughter cases filed across Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester and Berkeley counties since 2020.
Hunt was initially granted a $100,000 bond.
However, authorities later said she violated conditions of that bond and was returned to the Colleton County Detention Center, where she remained jailed while awaiting trial.
Her next court date had not been publicly listed in the latest reports.
For Peterson, the case is about far more than a criminal charge.
She lost a friend she had known for nearly half a century during what was supposed to be a joyful birthday getaway.
Instead, one night at a waterfront bar ended with Tomlinson suffering a fatal brain injury.
Peterson has said she intends to keep pushing for justice for the woman she considered family.
