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Cops: Man Charged With Murder After Causing Road Rage Wreck Near Rock Hill

Police charged a man with murder in a road rage case in Rock Hill, S.C.
Georgia LawEnforcement Photos/Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0

ROCK HILL, S.C. — Authorities say a South Carolina man charged with murder intentionally slammed on his brakes after pulling in front of a motorcycle, causing a fatal crash.

Prosecutor Willy Thompson said at a bond hearing Tuesday 43-year-old Joseph Rufo told investigators he had an altercation with the motorcycle driver, 25-year-old Dedrick Strain, just before the July 3 wreck near Rock Hill.

Thompson says when Rufo cut Strain off and slammed his brakes, the motorcycle crashed into a guardrail.

Thompson says the men didn't know each other.

News outlets report Rufo's lawyer said he was a family man and not a danger. Attorney George Speedy said Rufo didn't flee during the three months troopers investigated the wreck.

Bond was set at $150,000 bond and Rufo must stay under house arrest until his trial.

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