It was 1:30 in the morning on a dead-end street in Greenwood, South Carolina. May 7, 2023. A BMW 5 Series sat mangled at an intersection, looking like it had been through a meat grinder. But the weirdest part wasn't the car. It was the driver, 46-year-old Davis McClendon, who was lying 50 feet away in the grass. He was missing a shirt. He was missing a shoe. He was dead.
When the first responders got there, they figured it was a hit-and-run. Standard, if tragic, middle-of-the-night accident. But as the sun started to come up, investigators noticed something that felt like a movie trope but was very real: a literal trail of oil. It didn't just stop. It bled out from the crash site and led them right down the road, acting like a set of breadcrumbs leading straight to a front door.
That door belonged to the parents of William "Bud" Ackerman.
Why the Davis McClendon 48 Hours Episode is More Than a Crime Story
The 48 Hours episode, titled "The Hit-and-Run Homicide of Davis McClendon," which aired in early 2025, peels back a messy layer of small-town drama, jealousy, and high-tech detective work. You’ve got a guy, Davis, who was basically everyone’s best friend. He worked at a retirement home. People loved him. Then you’ve got Bud Ackerman, a local businessman from a prominent family whose marriage was falling apart.
Honestly, the timeline is what gets you. Bud and his wife, Meredith Haynie, were only four weeks away from their divorce being final. Meredith had started dating Davis about six months earlier. It was a fresh start. But Bud? He wasn't having it.
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On the night Davis died, Meredith and Davis were out at the Key West Club. Bud was there too. Or at least, he was nearby, circling the parking lot in his white Ford F-250. Surveillance footage later showed him like a shark in the water, just waiting. Meredith told investigators that Bud had been "obsessively" texting and calling her all night. He was spiraling.
The Science of the "Accident"
The defense tried to play the "oops" card. They argued that Davis was standing in the middle of a dark road and Bud just didn't see him. It’s a classic defense. But the evidence—man, the evidence was brutal.
- The Infotainment System: Bud’s truck was basically a snitch. The digital "handshakes" between the truck and local Wi-Fi networks allowed police to track his exact movements.
- The Palm Print: There was a circular smudge on the hood of Bud's truck. Investigators believed it was from Davis's hand hitting the metal as he was being run over.
- The DNA: This was the clincher. Police found Davis’s blood on the outside of Bud’s khaki shorts. If it was just a car-on-car accident, how does the victim's blood end up on the driver's leg?
What Really Happened at Sawgrass Place
Basically, the prosecution’s theory was that Bud used his 6,000-pound Ford F-250 as a weapon. They argued he didn't just clip Davis; he aimed for him. According to accident reconstructionists, the truck swerved into the BMW and Davis at the same time. The impact was so violent it carried Davis on the grille before dumping him 55 feet away.
Bud actually took the stand during his trial. That's usually a risky move, and in this case, it didn't do him any favors. Davis’s mother, Carie McClendon, said she initially thought there was a chance it was an accident. But after watching Bud testify and seeing what she described as a total lack of remorse, she changed her mind.
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The jury didn't take long. They deliberated for only 26 minutes.
That is lightning fast. In the world of "beyond a reasonable doubt," 26 minutes is basically a group of people walking into a room, looking at each other, and saying, "Yeah, he did it."
The Sentencing and the Aftermath
In October 2024, William "Bud" Ackerman was convicted of murder. The judge handed down a 45-year sentence. Since Bud was 44 at the time, that's effectively a life sentence. He’s currently serving that time in a South Carolina state penitentiary.
The 48 Hours coverage brought national attention to the case, specifically highlighting how "smart" cars are making it nearly impossible to get away with hit-and-runs. You can't just hide a leaking F-250 in a driveway when the truck’s own computer is logging every turn you make.
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Impact on the McClendon Family
Davis left behind three kids. His son, Frederick "Freddie" McClendon, actually gained some spotlight on his own by appearing on American Idol, where he sang a tribute to his dad. It’s one of those bittersweet things that makes the whole story feel even heavier.
While the trial is over, the case remains a textbook example of how digital forensics and old-school "follow the oil" police work can collide. If you're looking for the big takeaways from the Davis McClendon 48 hours saga, it's that jealousy is a hell of a drug and your car knows more about your crimes than you think it does.
Key Insights for True Crime Followers
If you're following cases like this, here's what you should keep in mind about how modern trials are changing:
- Digital Footprints are Everywhere: From "infotainment" systems to doorbell cameras (which captured the sound of the crash), the "secluded road" doesn't really exist anymore.
- The Power of Victim Impact: The McClendon family's presence in the courtroom and Freddie's public tributes kept the focus on the human cost, which often influences how a jury perceives a "technical" defense.
- Forensic Reconstruction: You can't argue with physics. The distance Davis's body traveled (55 feet) was inconsistent with a low-speed "oops" and pointed directly to intentional acceleration.
If you're interested in the technical side of this, looking into "Berla" (the software used to rip data from car computers) is a good rabbit hole. It’s the same tech that has cracked dozens of high-profile cases recently. For now, the McClendon family finally has their answer, even if it doesn't bring Davis back.