LaToshia Daniels, the woman on trial for the 2019 murder of Brodes Perry, who served as associate pastor at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis, Tennessee, says she doesn't remember firing the gun and never wanted to hurt him.
"I loved Brodes. I would never intentionally hurt him," Daniels said Thursday as she spoke in defense on the third day of her trial in Shelby County, Tennessee, WATN-TV reports.
Daniels, 46, is on trial for first-degree murder and attempted murder in the April 4, 2019, shooting at the Perrys' apartment in Collierville, Tennessee. The late pastor's widow, Tabatha Archie, who was also shot by Daniels during the 2019 attack at her apartment, testified in court on Tuesday that she met Daniels through a church in Little Rock, Arkansas, when Perry was serving as pastor of assimilation at Saint Mark Baptist Church.
On Thursday, the prosecution accused the defendant, who said Perry seduced her during a spiritual counseling session, of premeditating his murder. Prosecutors say she bought the murder weapon and ammunition on the day of the shooting.
Surveillance video was presented of her buying the gun at Thompson Sporting Goods in Arkansas ahead of a three-hour drive to Tennessee, where she is alleged to have carried out the shooting, Court TV noted.
Daniels, who was a licensed social worker and owned The Root Behavioral Health, specializing in anger management prior to the shooting, insisted on the stand that she did not plan on killing Perry but had planned to kill herself after she realized Perry had used her and no longer wanted to continue their relationship.
"I wanted to hurt myself. I wanted to end my own life that day. That's it and that's all," she said.
A psychologist also testified for the defense about Daniels' mental health leading up to the shooting and stated that Daniels is diagnosed with a major depressive disorder "severe enough to impair her functioning," but could not determine diminished mental capacity during the shooting because the defendant couldn't remember the event.
"I hate what happened. I'm so very sorry. I never wanted to hurt anybody. I've spent most of my life helping," Daniels said. "I never would intentionally try to hurt anybody."
Perry's widow told the court that they were living in Tennessee for about six months when Daniels unexpectedly showed up at their home at around 9 or 10 p.m. on the night of the shooting.
She said even though she was surprised, she let her inside her home after she told her she was in town for a conference. Daniels' attorney argued that it was Perry who instructed her to lie to his wife about being in town for a conference. The defense also noted that Perry had told Daniels to meet him at his home so they could reveal their relationship to Archie.
About 10 minutes after Daniels arrived at the apartment, Archie said Perry showed up, but he immediately became "agitated." She said her late husband questioned Daniels' visit, and after about 10 minutes of tense conversation, she said she would leave.
Archie said she led the way toward their door with Daniels and Perry following. When she got to the apartment stairs, however, she realized Daniels and her husband were not behind her.
"I see her pull out a gun and start shooting," Archie recalled. Daniels reportedly shot Archie in the shoulder when she tried to shield Perry from the attack. She also repeatedly stated, "You broke my heart," during the shooting.
