Nearly seven years after Pastor Brodes Perry was gunned down in his Collierville apartment, the woman convicted of killing him has been sentenced to 20 years in prison — a punishment the judge said reflects a simple truth: heartbreak is not a license to kill.
Latoshia Daniels was sentenced Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, to 20 years for second-degree murder and 11 months and 29 days for reckless endangerment, with the sentences to run concurrently. A jury convicted her in November 2025 in the April 4, 2019 shooting that left Perry dead and his wife wounded.
Daniels had originally been charged with first-degree murder, but jurors found her guilty of the lesser charge. She was acquitted on a separate firearm charge.
Prosecutors said Daniels drove from Arkansas to Tennessee after her romantic relationship with Perry ended. According to local outlets WREG, WMC and ABC24, she confronted the pastor at his Collierville apartment and fatally shot him. During the attack, Perry’s wife was also wounded.
The case drew widespread attention in the Memphis area, where Perry was known as a pastor and community figure. What unfolded inside that apartment shattered not only a family but a congregation.
During Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, Daniels addressed the victim’s family directly, offering an apology in court.
“To Tabatha, I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, and I pray that all of you guys will forgive me,” Daniels said, according to WMC. “I’m godly sorry, and I know it doesn’t take back what has happened, nor does it negate what has happened, but I want you to know that I am so sorry for the pain that I’ve caused you.”
She also told the Perry family she was “godly sorrowful” and asked the court for grace and mercy, acknowledging the gravity of her actions.
Defense attorneys argued that Daniels was suffering a mental health crisis at the time of the shooting. They asked the judge to impose the minimum possible sentence, pointing to her lack of prior criminal history and what they described as an otherwise exemplary life.
“We respect the judge’s decision; we do disagree with it,” defense attorney Lauren Fuchs said after sentencing, according to ABC24. “Latoshia is someone who has led an exemplary life outside of this very small portion of time.”
Prosecutors, however, maintained that the killing was deliberate. Shelby County Prosecutor Kevin McAlpin said the state believed the evidence supported a first-degree murder conviction but accepted the outcome.
“We asked for first-degree murder, and we thought the proof was there, but we’re happy to get some justice for the victims,” McAlpin said, adding that Perry’s family is “doing as well as can be expected.”
In delivering the sentence, the judge made clear that emotional turmoil did not excuse lethal violence.
“A broken heart does not justify someone dying,” the judge said, according to WREG.
Daniels will receive credit for time already served. Her attorneys have indicated they plan to appeal.
