Ceremony Held During National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Attorney General Alan Wilson led participants through the 24th annual Silent Witness Domestic Violence ceremony that was held today on the South Carolina State Capitol Complex in Columbia.
During the solemn ceremony, Attorney General Wilson called the names of 24 women and 15 men from across the state who lost their lives as the result of domestic violence in the previous year.
Family members carried a life-sized silhouette representing victims to the State House steps as a bell was rung for each victim. An additional 40th silhouette represented the potential unknown victims.
“This is a sad and solemn occasion to commemorate the lives that were lost in the past year to
domestic violence,” said Wilson.
“We must keep in mind that domestic violence affects people from all walks of life and we must work hard to break the cycle of abuse by understanding how violence impacts our community individually and collectively across the lifespan.”
The Honorable Alan Wilson, First Lady Peggy McMaster, Representative Ivory Thigpen, religious leaders and other community members made special remarks to highlight the problem of violence against women.
A statistical breakdown for each county is available at http://www.scag.gov/criminal-domestic-violence-in-south-carolina.
2021 SILENT WITNESS VICTIMS
Thembi Chalmers
43 years old
Aiken County
Jacquline Stevens
29 years old
Aiken County
Breanna Fludd
29 years old
Calhoun County
Shanta Singleton
37 years old
Calhoun County
Christopher Brown
32 years old
Charleston County
Pamela Coleman
58 years old
Charleston County
Olivia Goff
35 years old
Charleston County
Jennifer Grant
36 years old
Charleston County
Audrey Heyward
55 years old
Charleston County
Alicia Campos Garcia
37 years old
Cherokee County
Kodie Patrick
24 years old
Darlington County
Henry Williamson
50 years old
Dillon County
Christopher Curbeam
49 years old
Fairfield County
Melissa McClain
43 years old
Fairfield County
Jonathan Heiden
30 years old
Florence County
Antwanaza Cason
20 years old
Greenville County
Twana McDaniel
42 years old
Greenville County
Desmond Parks
29 years old
Greenville County
Kamesha Craig
21 years old
Greenwood County
John Logan
25 years old
Greenwood County
Timothy Bellamy
22 years old
Horry County
Brian Brady
47 years old
Horry County
Naomi Jean Morris
84 years old
Horry County
Gregory Rice
46 years old
Horry County
Lisa McCartha
46 years old
Lexington County
Walter Payne, Jr.
69 years old
Lexington County
Patricia Smerdell
53 years old
Lexington County
Maisha Burch
45 years old
Marion County
Kent Marcengill
52 years old
Oconee County
Heather Brown
28 years old
Orangeburg County
John Hubbard
33 years old
Orangeburg County
David Jones
34 years old
Orangeburg County
Kiara Richbow
28 years old
Richland County
Kornell Willis
29 years old
Richland County
Jasper Brian
62 years old
Spartanburg County
Ebony Canty
35 years old
Sumter County
Sharekia Johnson
42 years old
York County
Miranda Sturgill-Nivens
29 years old
York County
Julie Taylor
48 years old
York County