Melvin Croft is a military veteran, a former Greenville Police officer, and a retired funeral director.

Croft worked for the Greenville Police Department between 1972 and 1979. During that time, he became friends with Greenville County Sheriff’s Office drug cop Frank Looper.

Croft says that on the day of the murders, he was eating lunch at Pete’s Lunch Room on Pendleton Street.

Croft remembers Looper telling him about getting ready to bust the son of a wealthy local businessman, and Looper’s suggestion that he was about to break a huge case.

Today, Croft still lives in Greenville and works regularly with his VFW post.