Man sentenced to 12 years for assaulting two transgender women
November 4, 2025
Clifford Eugene Hardy Jr. pleaded guilty to two counts of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature on Tuesday, Oct. 14. The Honorable Jocelyn Newman sentenced Hardy to 12 years in the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
Prosecutors said Hardy attacked two transgender women in separate incidents five months apart.
On March 10, 2023, Hardy met the first victim at a motel on Sunset Drive. The victim told investigators that Hardy began smoking from a glass pipe, became aggressive, and stabbed her in the leg three times when she tried to leave. She texted a friend to call 911, and deputies later found her injured.
On Aug. 1, 2023, Hardy met the second victim at a motel on Piney Grove Road. After paying for sexual favors, Hardy became angry when she declined his advances for dinner and marriage. During a hug as she prepared to leave, he stabbed her in the back multiple times. She escaped when Hardy slipped in her blood, and a bystander called the police.
When deputies arrived, Hardy was lying in the road, covered in blood. Unable to determine if he was hit by a car, they called an ambulance. Medical professionals determined he had no injuries.
The Fifth Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office prosecuted the case. Assistant Solicitor Joseph Kreush led the prosecution. The Richland County Sheriff’s Department and the Columbia Police Department conducted investigations.