In the early hours of April 30, 2016, a resident of Ridgeland, South Carolina, Davonte Quentin Freeman, a 23-year-old male, was fatally shot in what was described as a cold-blooded ambush. The incident occurred shortly after midnight near the Siesta Motel on East Main Street. Freeman was in the company of his brother, Wrenshad Kwame Anderson, when they were attacked.
As the brothers walked from the motel towards Adams Street, they were ambushed.
Freeman was struck by a single gunshot to the back of the head. His brother, who was unharmed, heroically dragged him away from the ongoing gunfire while calling 911 for help. Freeman was airlifted to Savannah Memorial Hospital in critical condition but ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation into the shooting led to the identification of two suspects: Aneisha Shaire Young, then 23, of Hilton Head Island, and her co-defendant, Eric Darien of Pineland. The prosecution later revealed that Young had lain in wait for the two brothers and opened fire on them as they walked down a path.
In a three-day trial in March 2018, a Jasper County jury found Aneisha Shaire Young guilty of murder for the death of Davonte Freeman and of attempted murder for the attack on Wrenshad Anderson. She was also convicted of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. For Freeman's murder, Young was sentenced to 30 years in prison, with an additional 10 years for the attempted murder of his brother, to be served consecutively, totaling a 40-year sentence. She also received a five-year sentence for the weapons charge to be served concurrently.
In October 2024, Eric Darien, the co-defendant in the case, also faced justice. He pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the death of Davonte Freeman. As part of a plea deal that also included charges from a separate 2022 sexual assault case, Darien was sentenced to 20 years for voluntary manslaughter. This sentence is to be served concurrently with the sentences for his other convictions.
