William Cody Perritt will spend up to 26 years in prison after entering an Alford plea in the shooting death of his girlfriend. The plea came today in South Carolina, just days before Perritt was scheduled to stand trial.
In an Alford plea, the defendant does not admit guilt, but acknowledges a jury would likely convict based on the evidence. He entered the Alford plea to a charge of voluntary manslaughter. He must serve a minimum of 85 percent of the sentence before being considered for release.
Perritt, 23, is from Chadbourn. Brooke Akins was shot to death by Perritt at the Loris Motel on Nov. 5, 2023. Perritt was upset with Akins because he thought she was contacting a friend, Fifteenth Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson said in a press release.
The state showed that Perritt and Akins dated for about a year before he shot her.
At around 11:45 pm Nov. 4, 2023, Akins’ stepmother, Paula Bryan, received a call from Akins asking her to explain to Perritt that she was not having contact with her former friend. During the phone conversation, Perritt said “I’ll put a hole in her head.”
Approximately 20 minutes after that phone call, Perritt called 911 saying that Akins had been shot.
Bryan relayed that conversation and more to Judge Michael G. Nettles on Tuesday during the hearing.
“He said I will put a bullet in her head. I will put a hole in her head. She (Akins) took the phone off speaker and went into the bathroom and she said ‘he will calm down. He always calms down’,” Bryan said Tuesday. “I will never get her phone calls again. She was a bright light in this world and the world is not bright without her.”
Perritt initially claimed that Akins had committed suicide. Investigators said he continued to change his account of the events, finally stating that he was holding the gun when it discharged. Perritt had no prior criminal record before his plea.
Akins’ grandmother, Sharon Johnson, also spoke during Tuesday’s hearing and asked for the maximum sentence of 30 years for Perritt.
“He goes to jail and he’s alive,” Johnson said. “His mom and daddy can see him and touch him. I can’t touch her or hug her again.
“Thirty years may seem like a long time, but at least you can see him. I can’t.”
The family was pleased with the outcome of the case, the press release said.
“Brooke was a sweet teenage girl with a bright future,” Richardson said. “She wanted to be a teacher and help other children but her life was over before it got started. Hopefully, Perritt’s sentencing will allow the families to start the healing process.”
Richardson and violent crimes assistant solicitor Nancy Livesay prosecuted the case for the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
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