Jealous man used his truck as a weapon to murder estranged wife's new boyfriend

William 'Bud' Ackerman said it was an accident, but his vehicle proved it wasn't

- GAIL SHORTLAND

After 10 years, Meredith Haynie’s marriage was over. She had three children under the age of 11 with her husband William ‘Bud’ Ackerman, who was the owner of a garage in their hometown of Greenwood, South Carolina, but in spring 2022, the couple went their separate ways. Meredith had noticed a change in Ackerman’s temperament. He'd grown short-tempered and was allegedly drinking more.

Meredith filed for divorce and they made custody arrangements. Ackerman moved in with his parents and appeared to be sorting himself out. He was drinking less and attending church with the children.

In December 2022, Meredith, 39, was on a night out when a man came over and introduced himself. Kenneth ‘Davis’ McClendon, 46, worked in marketing at a retirement home and was a divorced dad, with six children in his blended family. Meredith wasn't looking for a relationship but they both knew they'd found something special and started seeing each other. Davis had a huge heart and was instantly friends with anyone he met. He didn’t have an enemy in the world — until now.

The couple dated in secret, but Ackerman found out in May 2023, when he and Meredith were just weeks from finalising their divorce. Although the relationship had started after the split, Ackerman was angry and accused Meredith of cheating.

On 6 May, Meredith and Davis went out for dinner at Break on the Lake in Greenwood. Afterwards, they went on to The Key West Club, where they met up with their friend Megan McGovern, who used to babysit Meredith's children. Ackerman had the kids that night, as per their custody arrangement. Throughout the evening, he repeatedly rang and messaged Meredith before driving around looking for her.

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