In a disturbing case back in the year 2021, a South Carolina man, David Beaufort, shot a woman in cold blood. This was before he shot at a police officer four times. He has now been sentenced to 40 years in prison.
According to the Ninth Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office, Beaufort was convicted of murder and attempted murder, along with possession of weapons, by a jury. However, the victim was not named in the press release of the office, which was released on November 10, 2025.
Talking about the incident, the prosecutors said that on December 16, 2021, early in the morning, Beaufort and the victim had recorded a video of them having sex. The location of the video recording came from North Charleston, South Carolina.
However, soon after that, the woman called 911 and told the authorities that David was “overdosing.” The prosecutors further mentioned that by the end of the call, David could be instructing the victim to call his mother.
According to the footage in the bodycam, when the responders from the victim’s 911 call arrived, they heard her screaming and in a state of acute fear. In a shocking turn of events, Beaufort shot at the responding police officer, Jamie Sylvester, four times.
After this, he shot the woman and killed her. According to People, David had revealed to the EMTs (Emergency Medical Technicians) that he was smoking cocaine-laden marijuana and was also drinking Everclear.
He also tried to plead not guilty in the case, citing insanity. But the doctors ruled out the same, stating that he had the “mental capacity to distinguish moral and legal right from moral and legal wrong.”
The accused then also went on to argue self-defence, but was finally convicted of murder. The verdict came after a 4-day trial that had begun on November 3, 2025. Solicitor Scarlett A. Wilson, who was overseeing the case, also released a statement about the same.
She highlighted how the jury had three trials, all of which ended in conviction. She pointed out the common factor between the cases to be that all of them included gruesome violence against women.
Honored to have the endorsement of Solicitor Scarlett Wilson. She has been a strong partner in the fight for justice, and her support means a great deal. pic.twitter.com/bRSlaX1IxL
— David Pascoe (@davidpascoesc) August 18, 2025
Wilson urged that this “madness” must stop for the crime rate against women to witness a drop. She said, “Recently, we had three trials that ended in convictions, all of which involved violence against women. Brave officers like Jamie Sylvester also suffer at the hands of these batterers. Thankfully, Officer Sylvester survived, but this madness must stop.”
This is not the only recent aggravating case that highlights a brutal crime against a woman. A man, namely Marcin Pieciak, was sentenced to 24 years in prison after he brutally murdered his ex-girlfriend by stabbing her 19 times in New York last year.
According to the BBC, the victim, Sarah McNally, was an Irish woman who was from County Longford and was working as a bartender at the Céilí House pub in Maspeth, Queens.
Pieciak was charged with murder and agreed to plead guilty to first-degree manslaughter in October 2025. The accused went on to accept his sentence in court. Marcin stated that he had no explanation for the brutal crime committed by him and that he thinks about Sarah every day and what he had done.
He gave a message to his ex-girlfriend’s family in Ireland, saying, “I know it’s too soon now, but I hope one day for forgiveness.” Reportedly, the victim had ended her relationship with Pieciak and had informed him of her decision to return to Ireland.
