SC man convicted of shooting girlfriend sentenced to decades in prison, prosecutor says
A Midlands man will spend decades in a South Carolina Department of Corrections prison after pleading guilty to shooting his ex-girlfriend, according to the 11th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
Parris D’Shawn Sutton, a 27-year-old Gaston resident, was sentenced to 28 years in prison, the solicitor’s office said in a news release.
On Jan. 8, Sutton pleaded guilty to charges of attempted murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, according to the release.
Sutton received a 23-year sentence on the attempted murder conviction to be followed by a 5-year sentence on the weapons charge, and the sentences will be served consecutively, the solicitor’s office said.
The attempted murder charge is classified as a violent and “no parole” offense, according to South Carolina law.
The charges stem from a Sept. 17, 2022, incident where Sutton went to an Edmund Highway home in the Gaston area of Lexington County after learning his ex-girlfriend was there, the solicitor’s office said. Earlier that night, Sutton sent a text to his ex-girlfriend threatening to kill her because he believed she was with another man, according to the release.
At the home, Sutton assaulted his ex in front of several witnesses and threatened to kill her before he was asked to leave by the homeowner, a female friend of the victim, the solicitor’s office said.
Sutton returned to the home shortly thereafter, saying that he needed to charge his phone, according to the release. But when Sutton was back inside, he went to the bedroom where his ex-girlfriend was lying in bed and shot her multiple times until his gun jammed, the solicitor’s office said.
No other injuries were reported.
Sutton continued to fire even after his gun jammed, according to the release. As a result of the shooting, the victim is now paralyzed, the solicitor’s office said.
Sutton was arrested about a month later in Charleston, where the victim was undergoing treatment for her injuries, according to the release.
During the investigation conducted by the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, messages Sutton sent after the shooting were uncovered, the solicitor’s office said.
“I did what I did cause she was being sneaky,” Sutton said in one message.
He later said that he “blanked out” and it would’ve gotten “real ugly” if the gun did not jam. He then said: “I kept pulling it.”
During sentencing, the victim, who now relies on a wheelchair for mobility due to her paralysis, addressed the court and shared how the shooting changed her life forever.
Senior Assistant Solicitor Sutania Fuller led the prosecution. James Snell Jr. was listed as Sutton’s attorney, Lexington County court records show.
There were no plea negotiations in this case.
In 2020, Sutton pleaded guilty to a weapons charge and served a year behind bars, according to court records.
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