A couple from South Carolina faces prison time after involving their young children in a deadly pursuit and shooting. The pair followed a group of men who had just cashed their paychecks, resulting in a fatal shooting incident.

Jaimen Tisdale, aged 23, received a 55-year prison sentence for the murder and attempted robbery of 25-year-old Miqueas Lopez in North Charleston. A jury recently found Tisdale guilty of charges including murder, possession of a weapon during 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.

Tisdale’s partner, Mariah McAteer, aged 24, admitted guilt to charges of accessory after the fact to murder, three counts of attempted armed robbery, and two counts of unlawful conduct toward a child.

On July 13, 2023, Tisdale and McAteer positioned themselves outside a convenience store, waiting in their car with two infants as Lopez and three other men cashed their checks. According to the Post and Courier, these men had just completed a day’s work installing electrical systems at a local school.

The couple tailed Lopez, his brother, and cousin for over ten minutes as they drove to drop off another man. When Lopez parked on the roadside near his home, the couple saw an opportunity for robbery. Tisdale exited his vehicle armed with an AR-15 rifle and approached the driver’s side of the victims’ car, where Lopez was sitting.

Surveillance video captured Tisdale pointing the rifle into the victim’s car and shooting inside. Lopez tried to drive away but suffered a “close-range gunshot wound to the head,” prosecutors said. Lopez’s brother and cousin were not hurt.

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.