CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, S.C. — A South Carolina woman was sentenced to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of kidnapping, assault and battery, and burglary.
Amy Perez admitted to her role in a May 2024 home invasion in Pageland, where a woman and her 9-year-old son were abducted.
Investigators said the crime was fueled by jealousy, as the female victim was the new girlfriend of Perez’s estranged husband.
Perez was identified as the mastermind behind the incident, in which she and three accomplices pretended to be police officers to force their way into the Pageland home.
After breaking into the home, the group transported the mother and child to an abandoned house in a remote area.
During the incident, the female victim was stabbed, and investigators said Perez instructed her own son to kill both the woman and her child.
During the sentencing hearing in Chesterfield County, an interpreter read a letter written by the female victim describing the impact of the attack.
“Mentally and emotionally, I have never been the same,” the victim wrote. “What hurts me even more is knowing that my son was only 9 years old. He was a child who felt safe with his mother, yet he was forced to experience something that a child should never have to witness or endure.”
Perez had been held at the Chesterfield County Jail for more than two years preceding her plea.
When asked by the judge during the proceeding if she was prepared to enter a guilty plea, Perez stated she was tired and replied, “Yes, sir.”
Perez’s legal team requested mercy from the court, stating that she had lived an upstanding life prior to the incident.
“We can undo it, but we just respectfully request that the court show her some mercy today,” her defense team said.
Prosecutors countered that the 20-year sentencing cap established by the state was already minimal given the severity of the act.
“Obviously, with the cap of 20 years that the state has put on that, we honestly say that that’s very lenient based on the facts and circumstances,” a prosecutor said.
Two of Perez’s sons face charges related to the incident and are awaiting their court dates.
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