Heartbroken mother of USC student, 21, stabbed 120 times by man she mistook for her Uber driver breaks down in court and brands him 'pure evil' after he's found guilty of her murder

Nathaniel Rowland is pictured on court on Thursday, where he was found guilty of abducting and murdering college student Samantha Josephson after she mistook his car for her Uber ride following a night out with friends in 2019

A South Carolina man has been convicted of abducting and murdering college student Samantha Josephson after she mistook his car for her Uber ride following a night out with friends in 2019.  

Nathaniel Rowland, 25, will now spend the rest of his life behind bars after a jury found him guilty on Thursday on three counts: murder, kidnapping and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.

Jurors spent less than two hours deliberating on whether he had knifed the student 120 times, with prosecutor Dan Gold dramatically brandishing the double-bladed murder weapon in court on Tuesday.  Prosecutors did not choose to seek the death penalty. 

Josephson - who was a 21-year-old senior at the University of South Carolina - had been out partying with friends in the city of Columbia on March 29, 2019 before she called an Uber to take her back to her apartment. 

However, she accidentally got into Rowland's Chevrolet Impala thinking it was her rideshare. Rowland then trapped Josephson inside his vehicle by activating the childproof locks. 

Her severely mutilated body was discovered less than 24 hours later in woodland more than 65 miles away. Her death cast a national spotlight on ride-hailing safety and led to some changes, including more prominent displays of driver's license plates.

Josephson's mother, Marci Josephson, delivered a powerful victim impact statement ahead of Rowland's sentencing, telling the court: 'Her dreams were my dreams, and her death was my death. I close my eyes, and I feel what she endured at his hands.'

Rowland addressed Judge Clifton Newman and insisted he was not guilty, saying: 'I know I'm innocent, but I guess what I know and what I think really doesn't matter.' 

Newman told the defendant: 'All roads led to you. Every speck of evidence led to you.' 

'I have dealt with the heartless and you fall into that category, without any remorse whatsoever,' the judge added. 'A person who is totally emotionless and what the law would call a depraved heart.'

Samantha Josephson (left and right) - who was a 21-year-old senior at the University of South Carolina - had been out partying with friends in the city of Columbia on March 29, 2019 before she called an Uber to take her back to her apartment. She was found dead of more than 100 stab wounds 24 hours later in a wooded area more than 60 miles away 

Experts linked Josephson's blood to the interior of Rowland's Chevrolet Impala and to the suspected murder weapon - a knife with two blades (pictured being presented as evidence on Tuesday) 

'Her dreams were my dreams, and her death was my death. I close my eyes, and I feel what she endured at his hands,' the victim's mother, Marci Josephson, said during the sentencing

During sentencing on Tuesday, prosecutor Dan Goldberg pointed to surveillance footage showing Nathaniel Rowland's car circling the block as Samantha Josephson waited for an Uber

Josephson's mother Marci fought back tears throughout her over six-minute statement, flanked by loved ones. 

'I close my eyes and I feel what she endured at his hands, 120 times, over and over and over, fighting for her life locked in his car. I used to have dreams for her and now all I have are nightmares, 120 times,' she said.

'The final moments, her bare feet kicking and fighting for her life, I visualize the blood flowing from her body, her beautiful body, 120 times - for what? The $35 a college student has in her bank account?

'The loss of Sammy is beyond words.  There will be no more birthday parties, no more backyard gatherings, holiday celebrations, or activities to share with her 

'I was planning my trip to Columbia in 2019 to watch my daughter graduate from college, instead I went to Columbia to gather her belongings. I cannot watch my daughter graduate from law school, get married or have children, all of which were her dreams. 

'Her laughter, hugs, guidance, advice, opportunities to tell her I love her are gone. Our family of four is forever broken. All I have are memories of the past and thoughts about what her final moments must have been like. 

'He erased my future with Sammy but he cannot touch my memories. The excruciating pain he put her through is unimaginable. I pray that when Sammy closed her eyes she thought about beautiful things. His evil face was not the last thing she saw before she took her last breath.  

'In one second our lives changed. I miss her. Everything she touched was better because she made it so. The lessons she taught me as a mom are carried through me forever. She brightened up the day with her smile. 

'The pain and loss are beyond words. He changed me forever. The heinous and brutal crime could have happened to anyone. Sammy was a reflection of everyone's child. I walked hand-in-hand with her for 21 years. Her death sliced through my heart. Now I see sadness in ordinary days. 

'Why? I spent the last two years asking myself that question. He cut out a piece of me. I'm bleeding silently.

'I despise everything about him. His eyes glaring at my family through the trial told me everything I already knew about him. He is pure evil.

'Samantha fought for her life because her life was worth fighting for. 

'He's a monster, he's evil and pathetic. The excruciating pain he put my daughter through is unimaginable. I am shattered, angry and heartbroken. His ruthless, violent act took a bright light out of my universe and changed many lives forever.

'I pray that he feels Samantha's pain. I pray that he get what he deserves under the law. I pray that he never has a chance to hurt anyone else. Everyone has choices. He may not like them now but it was his choice to kidnap and murder Sammy. He will have to face the consequences of his choices.

'I ask the court to impose the strictest sentence upon him so that he  may never walk the streets as a free man again for the rest of his life.' 

The victim's father, Seymour Josephson, also briefly addressed the court, saying: 'I still can't watch videos of Samantha. I hate looking at pictures and have repeated nightmares and visions of him, the monster, stabbing her.'

The prosecution spent about a week presenting piles of damning evidence and called nearly three dozen witnesses.

Experts linked Josephson's blood to the interior of Rowland's Chevrolet Impala and to the suspected murder weapon - a knife with two blades, which was found in a trashcan outside the home his then-girlfriend. 

South Carolina Law Enforcement officer Delilah Cirencione testified last week that investigators found a sheet, cleaning wipes, blue gloves, and other items that appeared to be covered in Josephson's blood at the home.   

Other evidence included cellphone tracking data pinpointing Rowland's location the night of the crime. 

Rowland's defense attorneys pointed out that scientists weren't absolutely certain his DNA was on the knife. 

His attorneys also argued that although Josephson appeared to fight her attacker, none of Rowland's DNA was found on her body and he had no visible marks of such a fight after his arrest the following day. 

The defense called no witnesses, and Rowland did not testify.

Josephson's mutilated body was discovered less than 24 hours later in woodland more than 65 miles away 

Surveillance images released by the Columbia Police Department show Josephson wearing an orange shirt and black pants and talking on the phone seconds before she disappeared

Security footage appears to show Josephson getting into Rowland's black Chevy Impala. He is pictured in front of the vehicle in a social media snap 

'Her dreams were my dreams, and her death was my death. I close my eyes, and I feel what she endured at his hands,' the victim's mother, Marci Josephson, said during the sentencing. She is pictured with her daughter and husband in a 2018 photo 

Before resting the defense's case, Rowland's lawyer asked the charges be thrown out because prosecutors had a circumstantial case - never showing that Rowland actually killed Josephson nor that he was driving the vehicle when she disappeared.

Circuit Judge Clifton Newman rejected the request, saying there was an avalanche of direct and circumstantial evidence that a jury should consider.

No motive for the murder was offered, with Josephson believed to have fallen victim to a horrific crime of opportunity.   

During the trial, which lasted a little over a week, pathologist Dr. Thomas Beaver testified that Josephson was stabbed more than 100 times. 

Beaver said almost all the stab wounds were to Josephson's head, arms, chest and back and several of the wounds would have penetrated into her brain or neck and been fatal. 

Beaver testified he was certain the knife with two blades taken from the trash can of Rowland's girlfriend was used to kill Josephson. 

When examining Josephson's body after it was found, Beaver found just 20 milliliters of blood remained in her system. An average body usually has at least 4 liters of blood. 

The court was also shown Josephson's shirt that she was wearing the night she disappeared. 

The original color of the shirt was no longer recognizable due to the amount of blood staining it.

Prosecutor Dan Goldberg shows a weapon he believes was used by defendant Nathaniel Rowland to kill Samantha Josephson during closing arguments in Rowland's trial on Tuesday 

Beaver testified he was certain the knife with two blades taken from the trash can of Rowland's girlfriend was used to kill Josephson. The knife is pictured  

The court was shown Josephson's shirt that she was wearing the night she disappeared last week. The original color of the shirt was no longer recognizable due to the amount of blood

Rowland was arrested one year before Josephson's murder for allegedly trying to sell items stolen during another woman's kidnapping in Richland County, South Carolina, in 2018.  

A woman told Columbia police that two men carjacked her while she was at a traffic light in Columbia. They physically assaulted her and forced her to drive to an ATM to withdraw money. 

Then they made her drive to her home where they stole items and left the scene. 

Police said that just hours later some of those stolen items - including a Playstation 4 - showed up at a pawn shop. 

Authorities tracked the stolen items sold at the shop back to Rowland and arrested him. 

However, there was no indication that Rowland was involved in the carjacking itself. 

He was charged with obtaining goods under false pretenses valued at $2,000 or less, according to the State Law Enforcement Division.  

Rowland will now spend the rest of his life behind bars. Prosecutors did not choose to seek the death penalty 

Josephson - who hailed from Robbinsville, New Jersey - was a senior at the University of South Carolina. 

She was scheduled to graduate just two months after she was killed by Rowland, and she had planned to pursue further study at Drexel University School of Law. 

The school had offered her a full scholarship, and Josephson aspired to a career in international law. 

She is buried at the Perrineville Jewish Cemetery in New Jersey. 

Josephson - who hailed from Robbinsville, New Jersey - was a senior at the University of South Carolina. She is pictured above with her boyfriend Greg Corbishley