S.C. man who kidnapped, hit girlfriend with his car while she was calling 911 sentenced to 45 years behind bars
12/30/2025 12:43 pm PST
AIKEN, S.C. (TCN) -- A man has been sentenced to 45 years in prison for kidnapping and killing his ex-girlfriend in 2023.
On Dec. 19, Daniel Harmon, 36, pleaded guilty in court to the kidnapping and killing of Jamilla Smith, 30, a mother of two, WACH reports.
On Dec. 2, 2023, Smith called 911 to report a domestic violence incident involving her ex-boyfriend, Harmon, Law & Crime reports. A few hours later, she called 911 again to say that Harmon had broken into her house and was chasing her down the road in his car, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by the outlet.
According to an affidavit obtained by WRDW at the time of Smith’s death, dispatchers heard an engine revving and then Smith screamed and dropped the phone. They heard a man telling her he would take her to the emergency room while she screamed that she was in pain and that he had hit her with his car.
The man was heard saying, “You jumped in front of the car,” and Smith replied that she did not.
The next day, Smith’s mother reported her missing. After her body was found, an investigation found her blood in the trunk of Harmon’s rental car and he was arrested, but he refused to give any further information, WACH reports. The search for her continued for several months.
Five months after her death, Harmon led authorities to the shallow grave where he had reportedly buried Smith, WACH reports.
According to WRDW, the remains were found in an area that authorities had already searched. Investigators tracked Harmon’s phone to the location where the body was found, and to Home Depot and Lowe’s stores where he allegedly bought supplies meant to aid in the disposal of a body, such as tarps.
According to Law & Crime, an autopsy determined Smith died from multiple gunshot wounds to the head.
In court, Smith’s family rejected Harmon’s apology, WACH reports.
Two other men, Clyde Hendley and Bryan Hampton, Harmon’s cousin, were charged in connection with Smith’s death, according to WACH.
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