A Tennessee courtroom brought closure to a years-long criminal case this week as Latoshia Daniels received a 20-year prison sentence for the killing of Brodes Perry, a pastor with whom prosecutors said she had been involved in an affair.
The sentencing follows Daniels’ November conviction on charges of second-degree murder and criminal attempt to commit reckless endangerment. According to Court TV, the court ordered Daniels to serve 20 years for Perry’s death and 11 months and 29 days for injuring his wife. The penalties will run at the same time.
The case traces back to 2019, when Daniels, Perry, and his wife were connected through Saint Mark’s Baptist Church in Little Rock. Daniels had sought counseling there, her defense attorney Lauren Fuchs told the court, arguing that the relationship began after Perry kissed her during that period.
By the spring of that year, Perry and his wife had relocated to Collierville, outside Memphis, where Perry served at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church. Testimony indicated that Perry later ended the relationship, setting off the chain of events that culminated in the fatal encounter.
On April 4, 2019, Daniels went to the couple’s home armed with a gun she had recently purchased. Court proceedings established that Perry’s wife was initially unaware of the affair. After Perry arrived, a conversation unfolded among the three. When Perry declined Daniels’ request to walk her to her car, the confrontation turned violent.
“She did not think about what was happening,” Fuchs said during the trial. “In that moment, she broke. And she did shoot Brodes Perry, while screaming, ‘He broke my heart.'”
Perry’s wife fled to a neighbor’s home seeking help, authorities said. When she returned, Daniels shot her in the shoulder. Perry died at the scene, while his wife survived the injuries.
During sentencing, Daniels addressed the court, offering remorse and referencing her mental state at the time of the shooting.
“I’m sorry,” Daniels said. “I know what I did. I wasn’t in the best health. And I know it doesn’t take away what happened, but please know that I’m Godly sorrowful and I’d ask that you extend grace and mercy.”
Presiding Judge Jennifer Fitzgerald acknowledged the emotional backdrop but rejected any justification tied to heartbreak.
“That’s senseless, you know, senseless,” Fitzgerald said. “To kill someone because he would not walk to her car, and although the victim was a pastor who did not treat her right and he broke her heart, a broken heart does not justify someone dying.”
Defense counsel signaled the legal battle is not over. Fuchs stated that a motion for a new trial would be filed and that an appeal is expected.
