On an autumn day in Dillon County, South Carolina, the lives of two women were tragically cut short in a senseless act of violence. Constance Sierra Kerns, a 33-year-old mother of three from Lumberton, North Carolina, was found shot to death on October 25, 2021. She was discovered in a car alongside 31-year-old Michelle Chavis of the Orrum community. The vehicle, driven by Chavis, had crashed into a tree in the Riverdale community, near the intersection of Vanderhall Road and Alice Court.
Both women had sustained fatal gunshot wounds in what investigators would later describe as a premeditated act.
The investigation into the double homicide led law enforcement to 21-year-old Jamir Covington of Dillon. During his sentencing hearing, Covington confessed to the brutal killings. He admitted to shooting both Kerns and Chavis, callously stating that he had informed them their meal that day would be their last, a chilling testament to his intent. His confession left no doubt as to his guilt in the execution-style murders.
In the wake of this tragedy, the families of both victims were left to grapple with an immeasurable loss. Constance Kerns's mother bravely addressed the court during Covington's hearing, speaking of the profound and lasting impact her daughter's murder has had on their family. She shared the heartbreaking detail that her husband, Constance's father, had passed away from the stress and heartbreak of losing his child. She is now faced with the monumental task of raising her three grandchildren without their mother. For his crimes, Jamir Covington was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole by South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Michael Nettles, ensuring he would never again have the opportunity to inflict such pain and devastation.
