D.C. Man Pleads Guilty to Second‑Degree Murder in Fatal Shooting of Former Partner While Child Was Present

Pernell Sims, 35, has pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of second‑degree murder for the July 30, 2023, killing of his former partner, Tyshida Williams, in Washington, D.C.

Incident Details

According to the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, Sims and Williams argued on the morning of July 30 over Williams' phone. The dispute escalated as the pair argued for more than an hour in the lobby and parking garage of Sims' apartment building.

“Sims and Williams then went to the lobby and parking garage area of Sims’ apartment building and argued for more than an hour,” prosecutors said. “While in the parking garage, the defendant threw Williams to the ground and kicked her in the chest.”

The couple returned to Sims' apartment, where his child was present. Prosecutors say Sims then shot Williams in the left side of her head; she died from her injuries later that morning. Authorities initially ruled the death a suicide, but investigators later reclassified it as a homicide. Sims was arrested in November 2023 and has remained in custody since.

Plea and Next Steps

At his plea hearing, Sims acknowledged that the shooting was voluntary and said he was not acting in self‑defense, according to prosecutors. He is scheduled to be sentenced in March.

Source: United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia; WUSA reporting.