Jeryl Lamar White, a 46-year-old Black male, was killed in his Greenville, South Carolina home on March 6, 2016. In the early morning hours, two armed men broke into his residence on Burgess Avenue. White attempted to protect himself by barricading himself inside a bathroom. However, the intruders shot through the door, striking him multiple times.
He was transported to Greenville Memorial Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries hours later.
Greenville County Sheriff's deputies responded to a report of a burglary in progress and apprehended two suspects. Simeon Tafari Williams, 25, was arrested at the scene after complying with deputies' orders to drop his weapon. The second suspect, 25-year-old Tristian Xavier-Marian Cummings, fled the home but was captured nearby. Both men were charged with murder, attempted armed robbery, first-degree burglary, criminal conspiracy, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.
During a bond hearing, Jeryl White's mother, Sylvia Nnodim, emotionally addressed the court, expressing her profound grief. Both Cummings and Williams maintained their innocence, with Cummings claiming he was the 'wrong guy' and Williams denying that he was armed during the home invasion.
In 2019, Tristian Xavier-Marian Cummings was convicted for his role in the murder of Jeryl Lamar White and was sentenced to 35 years in prison. The outcome of the case against Simeon Tafari Williams is not readily available in public records.
