South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson is urging a local prosecutor to seek the state’s harshest penalty against Alexander Devonte Dickey, the career criminal accused of murdering 22-year-old college student Logan Hailey Federico in Columbia earlier this year. In a letter sent to Fifth Circuit Solicitor Byron Gipson on September 30, Wilson recommended pursuing the death penalty, citing “clear statutory aggravating factors,” including that the killing occurred during a burglary, as well as Dickey’s extensive criminal history spanning more than a decade with dozens of arrests.
Dickey is alleged to have broken into Federico’s home in May, fatally shooting her as she slept before using her stolen bank cards in a shopping spree. “His past history, as well as his current violent crime charges, show an appropriate candidate for the ultimate punishment,” Wilson wrote, emphasizing the seriousness of the crime. To strengthen the case, Wilson announced that veteran attorney Melody Brown from the Attorney General’s Capital & Collateral Litigation Section would be temporarily assigned to Gipson’s office to review the case in detail. “We owe it to Logan Federico’s family, and to every family in South Carolina, to make sure justice is served,” Wilson said.
The push received immediate praise from the victim’s father, Stephen Federico, who has been vocal about lenient criminal justice policies in the state. “Alan Wilson is willing to do the right thing and what is justice for Logan,” he told Fox News Digital. Wilson set an October 10 deadline for Gipson to declare whether he would pursue the death penalty, warning that the Attorney General’s Office is prepared to take over the case if the solicitor declines.
Gipson, however, responded critically on October 1, calling the deadline “reckless, irresponsible and unethical.” He argued that a thorough review of the evidence is still needed, noting that key forensic tests are pending and that most of Dickey’s prior arrests occurred outside the Fifth Circuit’s jurisdiction.
Despite the pushback, Stephen Federico remains skeptical about Gipson’s willingness to seek capital punishment. “He’s never gone for the death penalty in any of his murder trials… There’s no reason that I would think any differently on this one,” Federico said. The case has ignited broader concerns about crime and punishment in South Carolina, highlighting systemic issues in the justice system, as Dickey had accumulated 39 arrests and 25 felony charges over the past decade while serving fewer than 600 days behind bars.
For the Federico family, the tragedy underscores not only their personal loss but also the ongoing debate over whether South Carolina’s legal system adequately protects its citizens.
