Murder of Samantha Josephson

Samantha "Sami"[4] Josephson was born in Princeton, New Jersey, to Seymour and Marci Josephson,[5] and grew up in Robbinsville, New Jersey.[6] She attended the University of South Carolina where she majored in political science. Josephson, who as a senior in college at the time of her death,[7] planned on graduating in 2019, and attending Drexel University School of Law.[5] She earned a full scholarship to Drexel University, as well as a partial scholarship to Rutgers[8] and aspired to practice international law.[1]

Josephson, a member of the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority, studied abroad in Barcelona and visited Madrid and Paris during her time at USC.[9] Josephson was Jewish[10] and is buried at the Perrineville Jewish Cemetery in Perrineville, New Jersey.[8]

Josephson spent the night before her death in the Five Points district in downtown Columbia with friends. At about 2:00 am she decided to leave and ordered an Uber. According to surveillance footage, at 2:09, a black Chevrolet Impala, driven by her murderer, pulled up beside her. Josephson entered the vehicle, thinking it was her Uber driver.[11] When police found the car, the vehicle’s child locks were activated. It is believed that this was done to prevent Josephson from escaping.[12] She suffered sharp force injuries to her head, neck, face, upper body, leg, and foot.[13]

Josephson's roommates became concerned and reported her missing the day after she accidentally entered the vehicle. Her body was then found in a field[13] in the town of New Zion in Clarendon County by turkey hunters[14] fourteen hours after the alleged kidnapping.[13]

According to police, the area where Josephson's body was located is where the suspect recently resided.[12] An autopsy showed that she died of multiple sharp force injuries.

Suspect Nathaniel Rowland was seen by police driving a car that matched the description of the one Josephson was seen entering in the surveillance video.[13] When the suspect, who was driving around the Five Points area where Josephson was allegedly kidnapped, was pulled over he got out of the car and ran away. He was caught[15] and was arrested at 3:00 AM on March 30.[16] Inside the car, police found a container of liquid bleach, germicidal wipes, and window cleaner.[13] The car also contained Josephson's phone[17] as well as a large amount[12] of her blood, which was in the passenger seat and in the trunk.[13] Additionally, the child locks were activated, which police believe prevented Josephson from escaping.[12]

The suspect was charged with kidnapping, murder, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime.[17]

In addition to Josephson’s murder, the suspect is alleged to have sold items that were stolen from a woman during a kidnapping in Columbia. The alleged victim was carjacked by 2 men while at a traffic light on October 19, 2018. The carjackers allegedly physically assaulted the victim and then forced her to drive to an ATM where they robbed her of money,[16] before forcing her to drive to her home where they again robbed her of items including a Playstation 4.[18] According to Richland County deputies, hours after the alleged kidnapping Rowland sold some of the items stolen from the woman, including the Playstation 4, at a pawn shop. Rowland was charged with obtaining goods under false premises.[16]

After their daughter's death, Josephson's parents established the What's My Name Foundation. The foundation works to educate people about ride-share safety, along with supporting charitable foundations and awarding college scholarships.[19] Josephson's parents have worked with lawmakers to advocate for policies that enhance safety for ride-share passengers. Several laws have been enacted since Josephson's death. There is no evidence said laws have had any effect and may have created more dangers for actual drivers as people have learned to use "What's my name" to hijack other people's rides and commit crimes while untracked and unidentified.

On June 5, 2019, the Samantha L. Josephson Ridesharing Safety Act was signed into law in South Carolina. The act requires ride-share vehicles to display license plate numbers on the front.[20] The law also subjects people who misrepresent themselves as authorized Transportation Network Company (TNC) drivers to a maximum $500 fine and those who use TNC ride-sharing application in the furtherance of criminal activity to a maximum $1,000 fine. In addition to facing fines, one guilty of misrepresenting themselves as an authorized TNC driver may be incarcerated for up to 30 days while one who uses ride-sharing in the furtherance of criminal activity may face up to 2 years of incarceration.[21]

Also in June 2019, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed Sami's Law, which requires more identification on ride-share vehicles. Specifically, the law requires companies to issue two "credential placards" to drivers of ride-share vehicles. These placards, which are to be placed on the driver and passenger side back windows, must have the driver's name and photo, along with their license plate number. Ride-share vehicles must also have an identifying marker on the front windshield and back window. Additionally, companies must give ride-share drivers two barcodes that passengers can scan to confirm the driver's identity.[22]

Josephson’s murder prompted lawmakers in North Carolina to propose the Passenger Protection Act.[23] The act requires ride-share drivers to display a printed license plate number on the front of their vehicles and, as of July 1, 2020, to have illuminated signs on their vehicles. The act creates a new criminal penalty for impersonating a ride-share driver and makes assaulting a ride-share driver a misdemeanor. Additionally, it provides $500,000 in grants for colleges to educate students about ride-share safety and creates a study commission to examine ways to improve ride-share safety.[24] The law was signed by Governor Roy Cooper in August 2019.[25]

Additional legislation aimed at protecting ride-share users is pending. In April 2019, Senator Anna Kaplan introduced the Samantha L. Josephson Ridesharing Safety Act, to the New York Senate.[26] The act, which is currently in the Transportation Committee,[27] requires ride-share drivers to “display visible, consistent, and distinctive signage clearly identifying the rideshare service provider at all times when the driver is active on the service platform or providing rideshare service.” These signs must be readable from a distance of 50 feet during daylight hours and should be illuminated at night so that the logo is patently visible.[26]

Josephson's parents have worked with lawmakers in the United States Congress to craft a federal law to enhance ride-share safety.[28] The bill, which is also titled "Sami's Law," was introduced on June 13, 2019.[29] It requires ride-share vehicles to have front license plates and illuminated windshield signs along with scannable or quick-response codes on the sides. States that do not comply would be penalized by losing 1% of federal highway funding.[20] The law would also establish a 15-member advisory council, called SAMI's Council, which would be made of federal agency and public stakeholders. The Council would report to the Secretary of Transportation and work to advance safety standards in the rideshare industry. The bill would also make it unlawful to sell ride-share language, require a Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report on incidents of assault and abuse of passengers and drivers, and require the GAO to examine the nature and specifics of background checks that are conducted by companies and the state standards of background checks.[30][31] The federal Sami's Law was referred to several subcommittees[29] and in July 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously approved it.[30][31] Josephson's death promoted the University of South Carolina to launch a campaign titled "What's My Name" to help students stay safe while using ride-sharing services.[32]

Josephson was awarded a posthumous political science degree in May 2019 at what would have been her graduation ceremony.[33]