Kimberly Davis Sledge, a 51-year-old woman from Pelzer, North Carolina, was found dead on January 29, 2014. The Greenville County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call shortly after 10 p.m. reporting a gunshot victim at a home on Berry Road in Pelzer. Upon arrival, deputies discovered Kimberly Davis Sledge deceased in the home. The Greenville County Coroner, Parks Evans, confirmed that Kimberly Davis Sledge died from a gunshot wound to the head.
At the time of the shooting, another person was present in the home and helped identify the victim's husband, John Calvin Sledge, as the suspect. John Sledge was arrested shortly after being pulled over on Highway 25. He was charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
Further investigation revealed that John Calvin Sledge, aged 48 at the time, had gotten into an argument with his wife, Kimberly Davis Sledge, on the night of her death. Kimberly Sledge's 10-year-old son testified that he heard his mother and stepfather arguing. When he came out of his bedroom, he found his stepfather on top of his mother. The boy pushed John Sledge off and returned to his bedroom. Moments later, he heard a loud boom that "shook the house." When he came out of his bedroom again, he found his mother dead on the floor of the guest bathroom, having been shot in the back of the head with a .357 handgun. The boy called 911 and identified John Sledge as the suspect. Greenville County deputies arrested John Sledge shortly after the incident.
John Calvin Sledge was convicted of murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and unlawful conduct toward a child. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The case highlighted the tragic consequences of domestic violence and the impact it had on Kimberly Davis Sledge's family, particularly her young son.
