• Latoshia Daniels found guilty of second-degree murder in 2019 death of Pastor Brodes Perry
• Jury convicts Arkansas woman of reckless endangerment for wounding pastor’s wife in shooting
• Defense argued woman acted in heat of passion during emotional breakdown over relationship

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (TDR) — A jury has found an Arkansas woman guilty of second-degree murder in the 2019 shooting death of a Memphis pastor with whom she was having an affair, delivering a verdict after just a couple of hours of deliberation.

Latoshia Daniels, 46, was also convicted Friday of reckless endangerment for wounding the victim’s wife during the shooting at the Meridian Place Apartments in Collierville. The jury found her not guilty of employing a firearm during a felony.

Daniels was facing charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and use of a firearm during a felony. Jurors reached their verdict after a week of testimony from witnesses and examination of dozens of items of evidence.

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The prosecution claimed Daniels killed Brodes Perry, pastor of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, while the two were having an affair and that the murder was planned. Perry’s wife, Tabatha Perry Archie, was also injured in the April 4, 2019 shooting.

Relationship began through church

Prosecuting Attorney Kevin McAlpin said Daniels and Perry knew each other because he had been a pastor at Saint Mark’s Baptist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, where she was a member.

Daniels testified she reached out to Perry about counseling because he served as an executive pastor and leader of her life church group. Two to three weeks after the first session, Daniels said she met Perry for a second counseling session.

Daniels stated that while she was talking to him, Perry pulled her chair close and started kissing her, and they had sex. She said Perry, at that moment, gave her everything she had been missing for a long time.

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Daniels, a certified anger management specialist and licensed social worker in Arkansas, testified the affair lasted approximately two years. She described Perry’s attention as initially making her feel valued, but his refusal to tell his wife about the affair left her heartbroken and confused.

According to her testimony, Daniels said she had to follow strict rules set by Perry, including using a specific app to communicate with him, traveling with him while paying her own way, and addressing him as “yes, sir” or “no, sir.” Perry allegedly told her his wife had approved of their arrangement and that the two women would function as “sister wives.”

Day of shooting detailed

On April 4, 2019, Daniels drove several hours from the Little Rock area to Memphis after purchasing a Ruger 9mm handgun earlier that day. Witnesses testified she bought the gun about six hours before the shooting at Thompson Sporting Goods in Arkansas.

Police said Daniels arrived at the couple’s home around 9 or 10 p.m. and spoke with the Perrys for approximately 40 minutes. Tabatha Archie testified she found the surprise visit odd but welcomed Daniels inside after she explained she was in town for a conference.

When Tabatha went to escort Daniels out of the apartment, Daniels allegedly pulled the gun from her jacket and shot Brodes multiple times. According to police testimony, Daniels repeated “You broke my heart” while shooting, as reported by Court TV.

Daniels testified she bought the gun to end her own life after Brodes ended their relationship. She said she saw the Memphis exit and decided to see him one more time. Daniels confirmed she had written a suicide note before the incident.

When asked if she denied shooting Perry and his wife, Daniels said she doesn’t deny shooting them but doesn’t remember firing the gun. She testified she was not her “normal, healthy” self and had not been in a good mental state for the entire day of April 4.

“She felt ‘broken’ and ‘in despair’ and remembered little of the shooting, recalling only flashes of light and realizing she was holding a gun,” according to Court TV. She testified she was disoriented when police arrived and at one point placed the gun to her own head.

Competing arguments in court

The defense argued that Daniels shot Perry in the heat of passion while emotionally distressed and unable to reason properly. Defense attorney Lauren Fuchs advocated for the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter.

“She’s not coming here to tell you, ‘I didn’t do this,'” Fuchs said. “She’s coming here to tell you that, ‘When I did this, I was so overcome by my emotions that I behaved in a way that I would not normally behave.'”

Fuchs said her client was not just the suspect but a victim. “He got to have this lifestyle where he was cheating on multiple women, and it was okay,” Fuchs said. “Latoshia, she gave him whatever he wanted, and Tabatha was his wife. He took and took and took from these women, and the whole time, he was lying to all of them.”

During her testimony, Daniels described ending the relationship via “disappearing text”, saying “He broke up with me with a disappearing text. I felt so used and worthless. I felt like trash.”

Prosecutors argued Daniels intentionally planned to kill Perry, saying she bought the gun, drove hours to get to Memphis and then shot him multiple times. The state argued that a broken heart is not an excuse or defense for murder.

“I’m going to shoot you and kill you, and along the way, shoot your wife, and it’s okay because you broke my heart?” the state prosecutor said to the jury. “Decision after decision after decision. Ladies and gentlemen, if a broken heart were an excuse or a defense to murder, I wouldn’t have a job.”

Verdict falls short of first-degree

Shelby County Assistant District Attorney Kevin McAlpine said that while the jury did not return a guilty verdict on the initial charge of first-degree murder, he respected the outcome.

“The difference between first and second murder is premeditation,” McAlpine said. “The jury made a determination that we had not met our burden of proof on premeditation. We proved it was a knowing killing, but we just didn’t quite get there on premeditation. We can disagree with it and respect it at the same time. It’s not exactly what we asked for, but it’s not a bad verdict.”

Tabatha Archie testified earlier in the trial that she had no knowledge of any affair and never agreed to an open marriage, contradicting Daniels’ claims that Perry told her his wife approved of the arrangement.

Daniels testified she wept daily, prays for forgiveness and wishes she could take it all back. She is expected to be sentenced sometime next year following a hearing scheduled for Dec. 17.

Defense attorneys for Daniels put in two requests for acquittal of the criminal attempted first-degree murder charge for shooting Perry’s wife. Both motions were denied by the judge.

Can crimes of passion committed during emotional breakdowns receive leniency, or should premeditated actions leading up to violent acts negate claims of temporary insanity?

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