Trial underway for Conway woman charged with shooting death of her husband

The trial for a Conway woman charged with the shooting death of her husband in August 2013 began this week and is currently underway.

A jury was selected Monday and is composed of seven men and five women and three alternates, and this jury will decide the guilt or innocence of Heather Sims.

“The jury will have the hardest part in this case because they’ll have to decide her guilt or innocence,” Jimmy Richardson, Horry County Solicitor, said.

Heather Causey Sims, 34, was charged with murder after Horry County authorities found her husband, 35-year-old David Sims dead from a single gunshot wound to the chest at their home on Aug. 11, 2013, and Sims said she acted in self dense after the couple fought at their home on Old Reaves Ferry Road, authorities said.

Court stretched into the early evening Tuesday and wrapped about 6:30 p.m. after opening arguments were heard from both the prosecutor and defense, authorities said.

The state also started presenting their case, and three witnesses were called including, a 911 operator, police officer, and first responder with Horry County Fire Rescue.

Nancy Livesay, who is prosecuting the case for the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, will continue to present the state’s case Wednesday before Circuit Court Judge Caldwell Maddox, and Defense Attorney Morgan Martin is representing Sims in a trial that could potentially span two weeks, officials said.

Over the summer, Sims tried to challenge her murder charge and sought immunity under the state’s Stand Your Ground law, which allows deadly force against an intruder or attacker in a person’s home, business or vehicle.

However, Livesay said Stand Your Ground excludes people living in the same residence and doesn’t apply when there is a domestic situation in the home. Sims lost the motion in August as Judge Maddox filed an order of assignment for her to stand trial for the incident.

Heather Sims said the couple argued inside their bathroom about an appointment they had with a marriage counselor before the shooting. Heather Sims said her husband was working on their toilet with a tool, which was either pliers or a wrench, and a kitchen knife.

She testified that David Sims came at her with a knife and she grabbed a loaded gun from a bathroom drawer and shot him in defense. She said she was fearful for her life when she shot him as she stood in the doorway of the bathroom.

The couple have a child together, who was 4 months old at the time of the incident.

This story was originally published November 11, 2015 at 11:09 AM with the headline "Trial underway for Conway woman charged with shooting death of her husband."