In the winter of 2024, the life of 32-year-old Sherman Armand Sims, a Black male from Spartanburg, South Carolina, was tragically cut short. On the afternoon of December 12th, Spartanburg County deputies were dispatched to the HomeTowne Studios on Mobile Drive after receiving a 911 call from a woman who claimed to have shot two people. Upon their arrival, they discovered the bodies of Sherman Sims and 38-year-old Susan Marie Gonzalez in a motel room.
Both victims, residents of the same apartment complex on Mobile Drive, had sustained multiple gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene.
The woman who made the emergency call, 30-year-old Kayla Michelle Benton of Sunset Circle in Spartanburg, was located at a nearby apartment complex and taken into custody for questioning. During her interview with investigators, Benton alleged that the shooting was an act of self-defense. However, the evidence collected at the motel did not support her claim. The investigation revealed that Sims, Gonzalez, and Benton were acquainted and had been together for about a day leading up to the fatal incident. It is believed that a series of verbal and physical altercations, fueled by alcohol, escalated and ultimately led to the deadly shooting.
Following their investigation, the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office charged Kayla Michelle Benton with two counts of murder. She also faced charges for possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime and possession of a firearm by a felon. Benton was subsequently booked into the Spartanburg County Detention Center as the investigation into the deaths of Sherman Sims and Susan Gonzalez continued. Friends and family remembered Sherman as a happy and joyful person who was loved by many and had a deep love for his family. His unexpected death, described as a senseless act of gun violence, left a profound void in the lives of his loved ones.
