In the early morning hours of November 8, 2011, the life of 19-year-old Shaquille Pertelle was tragically cut short in her Conway, South Carolina mobile home. Responding to a call around 3 a.m., Horry County Police discovered the front door of the residence forced open and Pertelle inside, having sustained a fatal gunshot wound.
The investigation into the young woman's death led to the arrests of three men: Carnail Marchindla Graham, then 25, Thomas Booker James, 23, and Kier Lamont
Johnson, 21. Prosecutors asserted that the three men had planned to rob Pertelle's boyfriend, Rodney McElveen, who lived with her. It was believed that Pertelle, who was either asleep or watching television on the couch when the men broke in, was shot because she could identify the intruders. Tragically, she was reportedly friends with Graham's girlfriend.
During the subsequent trial, the prosecution presented a case alleging a planned robbery that turned deadly. Pertelle's cousin, who was also in the home at the time, testified to hearing the front door being kicked in, followed by his cousin screaming her boyfriend's name and then two gunshots. He also heard the intruders demanding to know the location of something. The defense for Graham and James argued that it was Pertelle's boyfriend, McElveen, who had accidentally shot her while firing at the home invaders. They pointed to the fact that the bullet that killed her was from a. 357-caliber gun, a type of firearm owned by McElveen.
Ultimately, the jury convicted Carnail Graham and Thomas Booker James of murder after more than six hours of deliberation. Both men were sentenced to 32 years in prison for their roles in Pertelle's death. The third man, Keir Lamont Johnson, who was identified as the driver of the getaway vehicle, later pleaded guilty to criminal conspiracy. In exchange for his plea and testimony, the murder charge against him was dismissed, and he was sentenced to a year of probation.
