On Thursday, May 16, 2024, a tragedy struck when South Carolina mother Jamilla Smith called 911 in a panic, saying that her ex-boyfriend was after her.
She was brutally killed, and the Aiken County Coroner has now confirmed that she died from gunshot wounds to the head. This ends a months-long investigation that led to multiple charges.
Jamilla Smith made a panicked 911 call on December 2, 2023, which would later become a terrible record of her last moments. Smith told the dispatcher that her ex-boyfriend Daniel G. Harmon had broken into her house and was after her. She sounded out of breath as she spoke.
A police report says, “Jamilla can be heard screaming, and the phone seems to drop.”
A man’s voice, probably Harmon’s, can be heard in the background telling Smith to get in the car by saying he’s going to take her to the emergency room.
Smith’s cries of “no, don’t touch me, don’t hurt me please, and you hit me” could be heard over the phone. Smith went missing the same day her family said she was lost. Harmon, who is 34 years old, became a main suspect as the probe went on.
When blood was supposedly found in the trunk of his 2023 black Dodge Charger, it became a main focus for police. Harmon was charged with murder and theft based on these pieces of evidence and the horrible 911 call.
People looked for Smith for several months, and her family and friends kept hoping that she would come back safe. But when Smith’s body was found in early May 2024, their dreams were dashed.
Smith’s body had been hidden, according to the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office, which revealed the find. The court case started almost right away after Smith’s body was found.
Daniel G. Harmon was caught and blamed for killing and taking someone. Right now, it’s not clear if Harmon has made a plea or hired a lawyer.
Harmon was arrested, but the case did not stop there. After turning himself in on April 19, 35-year-old Bryan Alexander Hampton Jr. was charged with being an accomplice to murder.
Authorities say Hampton helped Harmon get rid of Smith’s body, and an arrest document backs up this claim. Soon after, Clyde James Hendley II, 46, was caught on charges of being an accessory after the fact to murder.