In response to criticism of Solicitor Duffy Stone's involvement in a case and his refusal to recuse himself, the University of South Carolina Law Dean Robert Wilcox defended the solicitor's position, which is primarily to advise law enforcement to handle the case constitutionally and without missteps. The Post and Courier also published an exoneration of Duffy Stone's decision in the case, alongside criticism of Sled for allowing friends and family of the suspect to clean up before the investigation.