Left: Jaimen Tisdale. Right: Mariah McAteer (Charleston County Jail).
In a disturbing case from South Carolina, a couple has been sentenced to prison for a violent crime that unfolded with their young children present. Their actions led to the tragic death of a man, who was gunned down after cashing a paycheck.
Jaimen Tisdale, 23, received a 55-year prison sentence for the murder and attempted robbery of 25-year-old Miqueas Lopez in North Charleston. A jury found Tisdale guilty of multiple charges, including murder, possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, three counts of attempted armed robbery, and two counts of unlawful conduct toward a child, as reported by the Charleston County Solicitor’s Office.
His girlfriend, Mariah McAteer, aged 24, accepted a plea deal for accessory after the fact to murder, alongside three counts of attempted armed robbery and two counts of unlawful conduct toward a child.
The incident took place on July 13, 2023. Tisdale and McAteer, with their two infants in tow, lay in wait outside a convenience store. They targeted Lopez and his companions, who had just completed a day’s work installing electrical systems at a local school and were cashing their paychecks, according to the Post and Courier.
Afterwards, the couple trailed Lopez, his brother, and cousin for over ten minutes as they made their way home, eventually stopping to drop off another man. Seizing the moment, Tisdale approached the victims’ vehicle with an AR-15 rifle in hand. He directed the weapon at Lopez, seated in the driver’s side, as the surveillance footage revealed.
What followed was a tragic sequence of events. Tisdale fired into the car, fatally wounding Lopez with a gunshot to the head at close range, though Lopez’s brother and cousin managed to escape unharmed. This senseless act of violence underscores the grave consequences of crime, leaving a family shattered in its wake.
Cops were able to quickly track down the suspects thanks to street cameras.
“He targeted these men because he thought they were weaker than him, they were vulnerable and that they wouldn’t report him. What he didn’t count on was the surveillance cameras,” Assistant Solicitor Jordan Norvell told jurors, per the Post and Courier.
Tisdale’s attorney claimed his client was following the men because he thought they were suspicious as he had seen their car multiple times that day. Tisdale said the gun accidentally went off and did not mean to shoot the victim.
But jurors weren’t buying the story.
“This was a targeted act of depravity that resulted in the loss of an innocent life,” Assistant Solicitor Cassity Brewer said in a press release.
