A fourth relative has been arrested and charged in connection to the death of elderly Midlands man who was bound and battered before dying last November.

Nicole Krystyn Chewning, 23, was charged with abuse or neglect of a vulnerable adult resulting in death, in connection to her grandfather James Boyd Chewning, according to the State Law Enforcement Division.

The maximum penalty for the felony is 30 years in prison, according to SLED, which reported Nicole Chewning was taken to the Saluda County Detention Center.

Her sister, 26-year-old Amber Nicole Trent, was also arrested on the same charge Jan. 17. On Nov. 3, 2017, their parents were also arrested on the same charge for their role in James Chewning’s death.

Donald Ralph Chewning, 51, and Kathy Laine Chewning, 48, knowingly and willfully abused and neglected James Chewning, who lived in their home, according to an affidavit. That abuse included James Chewning being battered, restrained to a bed with zip ties. Rags and duct tape were used to cover the mouth and eyes of Donald’s father.

Before his death, James Chewning was a Methodist minister, according to Rev. Sandra Whetsell, pastor of New Hope United Methodist Church in Rowesville.

“He was loved by everyone at The Oaks and St. Paul’s. He was a wonderful, wonderful mentor and guide,” Whetsell said of the man who had been a minister for more than 50 years before retiring in 2004. “Everywhere he went, he was well-loved. He was a kind and caring man.”

Whetsell called James Chewning’s death “horrific.” It’s in stark contrast to how she said he lived.

“He was a wonderful, wonderful, kind Christian man. He knew the Lord and the Lord knew Boyd.”