An Arkansas woman, who fatally shot a pastor she claims manipulated her into a sexual relationship and then discarded her, has been convicted of second-degree murder.

That case involved Latoshia Daniels, now 46, of Little Rock, who six years ago drove hours to a Memphis suburb where she killed Brodes Perry, the former pastor of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis, Tenn. A jury also found Daniels guilty of reckless endangerment for shooting Perry’s wife, according to court records.

Prosecutors had sought to convict Daniels of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and employing a firearm with the intent to commit a felony.

Shelby County Assistant District Attorney Kevin McAlpine told ABC 24 Memphis he respected the jury’s decision, even though they found her guilty on lesser charges.

“The difference between first and second degree 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.”

Daniels’ bond was revoked following the verdict, and she will next appear in court on Dec. 17 to receive her sentence. She could serve between 15 to 60 years in prison, the Commercial Appeal said.  

“You broke my heart”

Daniels purchased a 9mm Ruger pistol the same day as the shooting, according to Court TV. She then drove about five hours to the Perrys’ home in Collierville, just east of Memphis. She spoke with the couple for around 40 minutes. But when Perry’s wife, Tabatha Perry Archie, went to escort Daniels out, Daniels pulled a gun from her jacket and shot Perry, then 36, multiple times.

Archie told the police that while shooting, Daniels kept repeating, “You broke my heart,” according to Fox 13 Memphis.

Then, when Archie knelt to check on her husband, Daniels told her to “get out of the way” before shooting her in the shoulder, Court TV reported. The gunfire hit Perry in the head and torso, and he died at the hospital.

A prosecutor said that Daniels’ words during the shooting showed her premeditated intent, according to Fox 13. “Decision after decision after decision, ladies and gentlemen,” prosecutor Irris Williams told the jury. “If a broken heart was an excuse or defense to murder, I wouldn’t have a job.”

But Lauren Fuchs, Daniels’ defense attorney, urged the jury to realize their decision marked the fate of not only Daniels, but also Perry. Fuchs alleged Perry had a pattern of cheating on his wife.

“He (Perry) got to have this lifestyle where he was cheating on multiple women, and it was OK,” Fuchs said, according to Fox 13. “It was OK that he, as a pastor, does those things. That’s what these women gave him. He took and took and took from these women, and the whole time, he was lying to all of them.”

Pastor allegedly initiated the relationship

Daniels’ verdict came after an emotional four-day trial where Daniels, who worked as a certified anger management specialist and licensed social worker, took the stand in her own defense.

Daniels said that her relationship with Perry began in 2017 when she sought spiritual counseling from him during her divorce, according to Court TV.  At that time, he worked at Saint Mark Baptist Church in Little Rock.

During their second counseling session, Perry allegedly kissed her and then initiated a sexual relationship that came with strict rules, she said.

Many abuse experts consider sexual contact between a pastor and someone under his care adult clergy sexual abuse because of the power differential between them. Thirteen states, including Arkansas, and the District of Columbia have laws against adult clergy sexual abuse.

“I had to use a specific app to communicate with him. I had to travel with him but pay my own way. I had to be naked in hotel rooms and address him as ‘yes, sir’ or ‘no, sir,’” Daniels testified. “He told me that his wife had agreed to this arrangement, that we would be sister wives.”

She said she believed him because he was a pastor and a “man of God.” However, Archie testified that she had no knowledge of the affair and never agreed to an open marriage, Court TV said.

Daniels started crying on the witness stand as she said their relationship ended in 2018 when he moved to Memphis to work at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church. “I felt like my world was crashing down. I had given him everything,” Daniels said, according to Court TV.

On the day of the shooting, Daniels said that she had purchased the gun to kill herself, not to use on Perry. She testified that she drove to see Perry one final time before committing the act. “I just wanted to talk to him, to understand why he was throwing me away,” Daniels said.

“I loved Brodes,” she added according to ABC 24. “I would never intentionally hurt him.”

Daniels’ defense argued that she suffered from major depressive disorder and childhood trauma that affected her judgment, Court TV noted.

Liz Lykins is a correspondent covering religion news for The Roys Report, WORLD Magazine, and other publications.