Anteeatta 'Tee' Archie Swims, a 36-year-old Black woman and dedicated educator from Oxford, Mississippi, tragically lost her life on June 9, 2021. Her death was the result of a violent altercation with her husband, David Lee Swims Jr., in their home on Spring Lake Cove. Anteeatta, a beloved teacher in the South Panola School District with aspirations of becoming Mississippi's superintendent of education, was found deceased in her home two days after the fatal encounter, her body covered with a
blanket.
The couple had been experiencing significant marital problems and were reportedly separated but still living in the same house. On the morning of June 9th, a heated argument escalated, leading to Anteeatta being shot three times. Her mother recalled with sorrow that the daily morning phone call she shared with her daughter as she drove to work in Batesville never came that day. Family members also received uncharacteristically misspelled text messages from her phone after she was already deceased, raising their suspicions.
Following a welfare check on June 11, 2021, deputies from the Lafayette County Sheriff's Department discovered Anteeatta's body. Her husband, David Lee Swims Jr., who was 41 at the time and uses a wheelchair, was arrested and charged with her murder. He claimed the shooting was in self-defense, alleging that a gun his wife kept by the bed discharged during a struggle. Prosecutors, however, argued that the crime scene had been tampered with in an attempt to 'clean up' after the murder. David Swims was initially released on a $100,000 bond, a decision that caused great distress to Anteeatta's grieving family who pointed to a history of violent behavior.
In September 2023, after a trial that lasted two and a half days, a jury deliberated for three hours before finding David Lee Swims Jr. guilty of second-degree murder. He was immediately taken into custody to await sentencing, which was scheduled for the following month. Anteeatta's family, while still mourning the profound loss of a woman they described as a loving sister and a dedicated educator who 'loved with a full heart,' expressed that the conviction brought them a measure of justice.
