Tomena Gail Ford, a 33-year-old woman, was tragically killed in Florence, South Carolina, in what should have been a time of joyful anticipation. In May of 2016, while eight months pregnant, her life and the life of her unborn child were cut short by an act of violence. The person responsible was her fiancé, 33-year-old Darkell Foreman.
Following the shooting, Foreman himself contacted emergency services.
In the recorded 911 call that would later be used in court, he admitted to the dispatcher that he had shot Ford. When asked for a reason, he stated that she had been disloyal. He also acknowledged the urgency of the situation due to her pregnancy, requesting an ambulance for his fiancée and their unborn baby.
Foreman was subsequently arrested and charged with the murders of Tomena and her unborn child. During his trial, his defense attorney, Bakari Sellers, put forth the argument that Foreman suffered from severe depression and bipolar disorder, and had attempted to seek help for his mental health issues prior to the fatal shooting. The prosecution, led by 12th Circuit Solicitor Ed Clements, countered this by asserting that Foreman's claims of mental illness were a self-serving attempt to excuse his violent actions.
In December, a jury found Darkell Foreman guilty but mentally ill. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murders of Tomena Gail Ford and her unborn child. An additional five years were added to his sentence for a weapon charge, bringing his total sentence to 35 years, to be served in a South Carolina Department of Corrections facility.
