NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — A wrongful-death lawsuit tied to North Myrtle Beach stores accuses Circle K of helping fuel a drunken-driving crash that killed retired police chief Steven Alan Marshall. Widow Deborah Marshall named the convenience chain and driver Kayla Nell Tisdale in a second amended complaint.
Court papers say Tisdale bought drinks at the Circle K on Highway 17 North in North Myrtle Beach, came back while already impaired for more alcohol, then made a third stop at a Circle K on Highway 90 East in Little River. The filing claims her blood-alcohol level was about three times the legal limit by that third sale.
After leaving the Little River store, Tisdale ran a stop sign and hit Marshall, who was on a motorcycle or moped near Sea Mountain Highway in April 2025, according to the suit and earlier warrants. She left the scene before troopers found her. She later drew a 14-year prison term on felony DUI that caused a death, leaving the scene and endangering a child.
The complaint says clerks had reason to see she was already impaired, points to iced single-serve coolers next to the checkout, and cites South Carolina Department of Revenue alcohol citations against the chain. Lawyer Chris Kinon argues the layout pushes impulse alcohol buys and wants the case to pressure safer sales statewide.
Kinon said South Carolina ranked among the deadliest states for drunken driving as of 2023, with nearly 40 percent of fatal wrecks involving an at-fault driver at or above 0.08. Circle K’s response to the new filing was not detailed in the reports reviewed for this story.
Section: More Myrtle Beach SC crime news
