In the fall of 2014, a life was tragically cut short in Spartanburg, South Carolina, leaving a void in the hearts of those who knew and loved the victim. Myah Marquerita Cole, a 27-year-old female, died from a fatal gunshot wound on the evening of Saturday, November 8, 2014. The incident unfolded in the parking lot of the Park Place Apartments on South Port Road, a place she called home.
The events of that night stemmed from a heated argument that escalated to a point of no return.
The person responsible for Myah's death was her roommate and girlfriend, Brittany S. Pearson, who was 25 years old at the time. The two were inside a car when their verbal dispute turned violent. It was during this altercation that Pearson retrieved a. 45 caliber handgun from underneath the car seat. After arming herself, she fired a single shot that struck Cole in the chest. Following the shooting, a distraught Pearson herself called 911 to report what had happened. When Spartanburg Police Department officers arrived at the scene, they found Pearson outside the vehicle, hysterical on the phone, with the handgun on the ground.
Emergency medical services were dispatched to the scene, but their efforts to save Myah were in vain; she was unresponsive and pronounced dead at the location of the shooting. Pearson was immediately taken into custody and transported to the Spartanburg County Detention Center. She was initially charged with murder and possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a violent crime. In her initial statement to the police, Pearson admitted to the shooting, stating that she and Cole had gotten into an argument, which led to her pulling out her gun and shooting her. She expressed significant distress upon learning from the officers that Myah had died.
In May of 2016, Brittany Pearson stood trial for the death of Myah Cole. During the three-day jury trial, Pearson, who had no prior criminal record, testified that the shooting was an act of self-defense. However, the prosecution, led by Assistant Solicitor Timi Poulos, highlighted inconsistencies between Pearson's testimony, the physical evidence, and the accounts of other witnesses. The prosecution questioned why Pearson had introduced a firearm into the conflict and had not attempted to remove herself from the situation. Ultimately, the jury found Brittany S. Pearson guilty of voluntary manslaughter and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. A circuit judge sentenced her to 24 years in prison for her role in the tragic death of Myah Marquerita Cole.
