The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a murder-suicide that killed two people in Bishopville on Sunday morning.
Deputies say 51-year-old Jermaine Wesley shot and killed his girlfriend, Tanasia Parker, 31, at their house on Crystal Drive in Bishopville. According to authorities, Wesley then committed suicide with his gun.
The sheriff says there is no known motivation for the shooting, but Wesley texted his family Sunday that he had killed Parker and was preparing to kill himself. The victims were eventually discovered inside the house, Parker in a bedroom and Wesley in a bathroom, both with gunshot wounds.
Family relatives of Parker spoke with News19 on Monday. They said Parker’s 4-year-old son, William, was inside the house at the time.
Parker is known as “Nay-Nay” and is described as kind, extroverted, and devoted to her kid.
“She just loved her son,” Parker’s grandmother, Brenda Holloman, said. “She was such a wonderful person. When she met individuals, it was as if she had known them her entire life. She did not see color.”
“Nay-Nay was always a funny, jokey person,” explained her cousin, Angel Carter. “She wanted to make everyone laugh. “She liked to party.”
Family members claim they were unaware of any problems between Parker and Wesley and deemed the death unjustified. Many people said they saw them multiple times in the days preceding up to the shooting. They said the pair appeared happy together and exhibited no symptoms of conflict.
“When I think about her, I think about the song she sang, and how she was such a giving person,” said Parker’s aunt, Jacqueline McDuffie. “I just can’t think of her being gone. I keep thinking that this is a nightmare.
Family members also shared some personal memories they had with Parker.
“She played basketball for my son. And he would say, “Now, Nay-Nay, I put you on the team because you’re a family member, but you can’t play basketball.” “He said, You cannot,” McDuffie fondly remembered.
The sheriff claims there is no threat to the public and no other suspects are implicated. Autopsies are scheduled for Tuesday to determine the cause of death.
Reference: Mother of 4-year-old child killed in South Carolina murder-suicide, deputies say
