She Filed 13 Reports Then Her Partner Tracked Her Down and Shot Her | Corneshia Butler

[00:00:00]For the first time we're seeing video of a woman retrieving a gun moments before she murdered her wife.

[00:00:07]>> In November 2022, Shikaya Perkins shot out of the house she shared with her wife Cornesha Perkins, stalked her car, and came back with a gun in her left hand. On the day of the murder, Shikaya Perkins should not have been near her wife because Shikaya was out on bond totaling $70,000 on charges of aggravated assault, criminal damage to property, terroristic threats, felony, and arson first degree.

[00:00:33]Conditions including must not come within 200 yards of the victim in those alleged incident.

[00:00:39]>> She had a notebook.

[00:00:41]Inside it was every single detail [music] of where Cornesha went, what time she left, who came in and out of that house.

[00:00:48]Written down and studied [music] like homework.

[00:00:52]When investigators found it, they realized this was never a moment of rage.

[00:00:57]This had been a plan.

[00:01:00]>> We've been in this business long enough to know that violent behavior is progressive. We would not want to see individual get out on such a low bond given the history between these two individuals.

[00:01:10]>> You feel like you as police did your job, but the court system let you down?

[00:01:14]>> We do. We see one case after another where, you know, the victim actually reached out to us and we responded appropriately. When you see time and time again, people are let out on these sort of crimes and they ultimately result in murder, there's a breakdown somewhere.

[00:01:33]>> The part that is [music] hard to sit with is that Cornesha had gone to the police 13 times.

[00:01:38]13 separate attempts to get the system to take her seriously.

[00:01:43]And every single time the woman she feared walked right back out.

[00:01:48]This is Crime on Buzz. Before we get started, leave a like, share your thoughts in the comments, and subscribe so you won't miss out on cases like this.

[00:01:58]Cornisha Butler went by Nisha to the people who loved her.

[00:02:02]Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, she eventually made her way to Atlanta. And when she got there, she got to [music] work.

[00:02:09]She was a registered tax preparer, running her own virtual and mobile service, Imani Tax and Financial [music] Services, which she had been building since February of 2021.

[00:02:20]She was [music] also a licensed aesthetician and certified body contouring specialist with her own studio, Body Doll [music] and Aesthetics, operating out of Decatur, Georgia.

[00:02:31]She built all of it herself.

[00:02:33]Two businesses, [music] a large following online, and a life centered entirely around her children.

[00:02:40]She had a big personality and a presence people remembered.

[00:02:44]Pink was her signature color.

[00:02:46]People called her the black Barbie, [music] and she wore that fully.

[00:02:51]Her Mercedes was pink, her Jeep was pink.

[00:02:54]She worked hard enough to eventually purchase her own home.

[00:02:57]When she posted about it, you could feel how much it meant to her. Not just as a property, but as proof of everything she had put in to get there.

[00:03:06]But there was someone who had watched Cornisha build all of this.

[00:03:10]Someone who had been beside her from the beginning >> [music] >> and was finding it harder and harder to accept that Cornisha was doing well, especially without her.

[00:03:19]That person was Shakaya Perkins.

[00:03:22]Shakaya was 25, also originally [music] from Memphis.

[00:03:27]She and Cornisha had been together since 2016.

[00:03:30]And when Cornisha relocated to Atlanta, Shakaya came with her.

[00:03:35]On the outside, the early stages looked [music] like any other couple.

[00:03:40]Coordinated outfits, affectionate posts, the whole public performance of being in love.

[00:03:46]>> The stories I told, mama said, "Boy, don't sell your soul [music] for applause." But the silence louder than >> [singing] >> a million girls. I seen kings fall, [music] click for a hit on a real.

[00:03:57][singing] Seen queens trade crowns for a six-figure deal. I don't blame them. I just pray for [music] >> But the people who were actually around them saw what the posts didn't show.

[00:04:09]Shakaya was controlling. She monitored Cornisha's movements, interrogated her about who she spent time with, [music] and could not tolerate any version of Cornisha that existed outside of their relationship.

[00:04:22]The jealousy was relentless.

[00:04:25]Over 6 years, the relationship would break apart and come back together. And each time it came back, something had shifted [music] in the wrong direction.

[00:04:35]By 2021, it had gone beyond arguments.

[00:04:39]In September of 2021, Cornisha was driving [music] when another car suddenly cut into her lane and forced her off the road.

[00:04:47]That was Shakaya.

[00:04:49]The impact left Cornisha's vehicle with damage on both sides.

[00:04:54]She immediately reached out to a friend.

[00:04:56]She had just been run off the road by someone she knew.

[00:05:00]So, she went straight to the police [music] and made a report.

[00:05:04]Two days later, on September 15th, Shakaya showed up at Cornisha's home.

[00:05:09]She had made clear earlier in the day that she intended to come, and she followed [music] through.

[00:05:14]The door was kicked in hard enough to crack the frame.

[00:05:18]Shakaya forced her way inside.

[00:05:21]Cornisha called the [music] police again.

[00:05:24]Another report on file.

[00:05:27]10 days [music] after that, on September 25th, Cornisha was home with her children and a friend when she noticed something through the window.

[00:05:35]She looked outside and saw both of her vehicles, the pink Mercedes and the pink Jeep, lit up in the driveway.

[00:05:43]The fire spread and caught the side of the [music] house.

[00:05:46]Firefighters responded and investigators came back with a determination.

[00:05:51]Arson.

[00:05:53]Neighbors had seen Shakira in the area.

[00:05:56]Doorbell camera footage captured [music] someone matching her description near the property around the time the fire broke out.

[00:06:03]>> Um also there was a where she set Koresha's car, she had a Jeep. Um set her car on fire in the driveway.

[00:06:10]>> Thomas says in the vehicle arson a person believed to be Shakira Perkins can be seen on doorbell video in the vicinity of the fire. And in another incident she kicked the door of a residence where Koresha temporarily stayed.

[00:06:22]>> Shakira was [music] arrested and charged with four felonies.

[00:06:25]First degree arson, aggravated assault, criminal damage to property, and criminal threats.

[00:06:32]Bond was set at $70,000. [music] Eight days later she posted it and walked out.

[00:06:39]>> Then in October of 2021 a judge ordered bond totaling $70,000 for Shakira Perkins on charges of aggravated assault, criminal damage to property, terroristic threats, felony, and arson first degree. Conditions including must not come within 200 yards of victim. September 13th, 2021 a city of South Fulton police report contains allegations suggesting Shakira Perkins used her car to hit Ms. Butler's attempting to push her off the road then struck Ms. Butler's car again. The report indicates they were separated at the time. September 15th, 2021 a city of South Fulton incident report says Ms. Butler advised that Ms. Perkins advised she would come to her house to see if she had company. Ms. Butler advised that Ms. Perkins arrived and kicked in her door cracking the frame. A South Fulton police lieutenant says September 25th, 2021 Shakira Perkins allegedly set a fire that engulfed two of Ms. Butler's vehicles and damaged her house as well.

[00:07:30]>> Koresha went to court and obtained a protective order.

[00:07:34]Shakira was legally prohibited from coming within 200 yards of her. No contact, no appearances at her home or any of her businesses.

[00:07:43]Violating the order meant immediate arrest.

[00:07:47]She violated it anyway. Messages came through, calls came in, and Shakira turned up at places she knew Cornisha would be.

[00:07:56]Cornisha documented and reported every single one, and the police logged those complaints.

[00:08:02]Even with all these, nothing changed.

[00:08:05]Shakira still stayed free.

[00:08:08]Despite everything that had unfolded, the arson, the assault charges, the restraining order violations, Cornisha and Shakira found their way back to each other.

[00:08:18]>> [music] >> On Valentine's Day 2022, Shakira posted publicly about their relationship.

[00:08:24]Happy Valentine's Day to my sweet [music] and sour wife. Us against the world, remember that.

[00:08:32]Six years of [music] toxic love. I wouldn't do it with nobody else but you, my love.

[00:08:37]But whatever reunion they had did not hold.

[00:08:40]>> [music] >> The patterns were the same. The cycle was the same.

[00:08:44]Eventually, [music] Cornisha made the decision that she was done.

[00:08:48]She turned her attention back to the home she had purchased, her fresh start, and told Shakira the relationship was over.

[00:08:56]Then, the messages started coming in a different tone.

[00:08:59]One read, "Pay your insurance. My mind is made up. You'll be gone soon, so keep talking. That's what I want you to do."

[00:09:07]Then another, "I'm going for [music] first degree, not second, and I stamp that."

[00:09:14]That second one is unsettling because she was not expressing anger in the heat of a moment. She was laying out the legal difference between a planned act and a spontaneous [music] one.

[00:09:25]And she was telling Cornisha directly which category she intended.

[00:09:30]Cornisha saved [music] every message.

[00:09:32]She had been to the police 13 times at that point. She had filed reports, shown [music] up to court, obtained a protective order, and documented every violation of it.

[00:09:43]Shaquia had been arrested four [music] separate times and released after each one. One more message was not going to tip [music] the scales.

[00:09:51]But Cornisha kept pushing forward. She was settling into the new house, getting her children comfortable, and looking ahead to Thanksgiving. The first holiday in a space that was entirely hers.

[00:10:04]Shaquia knew exactly where that house was.

[00:10:07]On November 16th, 2022, Cornisha was home.

[00:10:12]Three of her children were still at school, and her toddler was with her.

[00:10:16]Her mother was also there, >> [music] >> but she had suffered a stroke and was not able to move around on her own.

[00:10:23]That evening, Shaquia came to the house.

[00:10:26]How she got inside is not [music] entirely clear from the record.

[00:10:30]But at some point, both of them were in that house, and the neighbors started hearing raised [music] voices.

[00:10:37]Then, the security cameras picked up what happened next.

[00:10:40]Shaquia walked out of the house. [music] She crossed the driveway, opened her car door, and reached inside.

[00:10:47]When she turned back around, she had a weapon in her hand. She went back [music] through that door, and she used it.

[00:10:55]The first call to 911 went out just after 6:00 in the evening.

[00:10:59]Officers arrived and found the front door open.

[00:11:03]Cornisha was on the living room floor unresponsive.

[00:11:07]First responders worked [music] to help her, but she was pronounced gone at the scene.

[00:11:12]Her youngest child was there. Found physically unharmed, the toddler was immediately placed with family.

[00:11:19]Cornisha's mother had been in the house the entire [music] time, unable to intervene because of her condition.

[00:11:26]Detectives [music] swept the scene. No forced entry, and nothing was taken.

[00:11:31]Shell casings were recovered, [music] and the security footage from both the home and nearby properties was pulled immediately. [music] Several neighbors had seen a vehicle circling the block that evening and staying near the house for longer than made sense.

[00:11:46]While the scene was being processed, Cornisha's other children were being picked up from school by family members who had to find a way to tell them their mother was gone.

[00:11:55]Shaquiya had already left by the time officers arrived, but an all-points bulletin went out immediately.

[00:12:02]Detectives tracked her cell phone signal.

[00:12:05]>> [music] >> It had placed her near the scene at the time of the incident and then moved.

[00:12:09]The signal led to an apartment complex on the other side of the city connected to [music] Shaquiya's sister.

[00:12:16]By 10:30 that night, the South Fulton tactical unit had the building surrounded with officers [music] covering every exit.

[00:12:24]Shaquiya surrendered without a fight.

[00:12:27]She told officers she had not had a choice. That she had been pushed to it and that it had to happen.

[00:12:34]When detectives searched her vehicle, they found the [music] weapon and also found a notebook.

[00:12:39]The one with Cornisha's daily routine written out in detail.

[00:12:43]Where she went, when [music] she left, and who she was with.

[00:12:48]She had been tracking her.

[00:12:50]On Shaquiya's phone, investigators found a text message [music] that had been drafted but never sent.

[00:12:56]It's done now. You can't leave me again.

[00:13:01]She was charged with first-degree homicide, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and cruelty in the third degree.

[00:13:08]At the time of her arrest, Shaquiya Perkins was still out on bond from the earlier charges.

[00:13:14]The arson, the assault, the criminal threats. [music] The bond that had been set at $70,000 and paid eight days after [music] her arrest.

[00:13:23]South Fulton Police Chief Keith Meadows addressed the media shortly after.

[00:13:28]His department had responded to [music] every single call Cornisha made. They had filed every report and made four arrests, and the courts gave bond every time.

[00:13:38]Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis [music] released a statement.

[00:13:42]Prosecutors from her office had stood in court after each arrest and argued against bond, >> [music] >> telling the judge directly that releasing Shakia Perkins placed Cornisha Butler in danger.

[00:13:54]The judge granted bond regardless.

[00:13:56]>> A woman police say should still be alive, but her accused killer was out on bond. Police say the suspect was the victim's estranged spouse, and that she was attacked in the past. All new at 6, Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne spoke with the city of South Fulton police chief, who says the suspect had a violent history.

[00:14:15]The city of South Fulton police chief says his officers did their job bringing four domestic violence type cases against one woman last year who got bond, and now the department has arrested her for murder, same victim.

[00:14:29]Should Cornisha Butler still be alive today?

[00:14:32]>> You know, I would think so.

[00:14:34]>> But for a bail bond and perhaps a fatally flawed personal decision, murder victim Cornisha Butler might still be alive, says City of South Fulton Police Chief Keith Meadows.

[00:14:43]>> We've been in this business long enough to know that violent behavior is progressive.

[00:14:47]>> A City of South Fulton police lieutenant says Shakia Perkins has been charged with the murder of Cornisha Perkins November 16th and more. He confirms the victim was also known as Cornisha Butler, a mother of four, the suspect's wife, that the couple had been estranged but reunited. But records indicate that's not the first time Shakia Perkins has been charged with crimes victimizing Ms. Butler. Then in October of 2021, a judge ordered bond totaling $70,000 for Shakia Perkins on charges of aggravated assault, criminal damage to property, terroristic threats, felony, and arson first degree. Conditions including must not come within 200 yards of victim. We would not want to see individual get out on such a low bond given the history between these two individuals.

[00:15:30]>> September 13th, 2021, a city of South Fulton police report contains allegations suggesting Shakia Perkins used her car to hit Ms. Butler's attempting to push her off the road then struck Ms. Butler's car again. The report indicates they were separated at the time. September 15th, 2021, a city of South Fulton incident report says Ms. Butler advised that Ms. Perkins advised she would come to her house to see if she had company. Ms. Butler advised that Ms. Perkins arrived and kicked in her door cracking the frame. A South Fulton police lieutenant says September 25th, 2021, Shakia Perkins allegedly set a fire that engulfed two of Ms. Butler's vehicles and damaged her house as well.

[00:16:06]South Fulton Police Chief Keith Meadows says Ms. Butler showed police screenshots in which Shakia Perkins allegedly texted quote, "Soon you will be dead and I'll be in jail and that's fine." unquote and quote, "I'm going for first degree, not second degree, stamp that."

[00:16:21]>> You feel like you as police did your job but the court system let you down.

[00:16:25]>> We do. We see one case after another where you know, the victim actually reached out to us and we responded appropriately.

[00:16:33]>> Statement attributed to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis says, "My office opposed bond in this case. Cases involving domestic violence often involve ongoing danger to the victim. We urge judges hearing bond requests in domestic violence cases to carefully consider the potential danger to victims and either hold defendants in jail without bond or at a minimum impose monitoring requirements on them that will ensure they cannot approach their victims without law enforcement being notified."

[00:16:58]>> When you see time and time again people are let out on these sort of crimes and they ultimately result in murder, there's a breakdown somewhere.

[00:17:08]>> What followed Cornisha's passing was an [music] outpouring that made clear how many people she had touched.

[00:17:14]Social media filled with [music] her photos, her videos, memories of her dancing, posts about the businesses she had built and the mother she was.

[00:17:23]One of her relatives addressed it publicly after the news broke, reposting Shakeia's [music] own Valentine's Day tribute and writing directly to Cornisha.

[00:17:31]My nieces are [music] left without their mother. Lord, y'all got to realize toxic relationships aren't healthy, and trust me, I'm speaking from experience. The signs were there when she lit your house up and car while you were in the house.

[00:17:45]But sometimes what we think is love blinds us.

[00:17:48]She threatened you and said she wanted you gone. I'm so sorry this happened to you, baby, but the girls and King are safe here with [music] me.

[00:17:57]A balloon release was organized in Cornisha's memory. Dozens of people came out holding pink and white balloons.

[00:18:04]Her funeral brought together family, friends, and community. All dressed in pink, [music] the color that had defined her.

[00:18:12]Photos of her life were displayed throughout the service.

[00:18:16]The people who spoke knew her, >> [music] >> the way she pushed, the way she loved her children, the way she had handed the system every piece of evidence it needed and trusted it to protect her.

[00:18:27]On November 18th, 2022, Shakeia had her initial arraignment and was charged.

[00:18:32][music] Prosecutors laid out the full record, years of escalating danger, a restraining order repeatedly disregarded, text messages where Shakeia had telegraphed exactly what she intended to do.

[00:18:45]The tracking notebook, the unsent message on her phone, and the footage.

[00:18:50]Bond was denied.

[00:18:52]For the first time since September of 2021, [music] Shakeia Perkins did not walk out.

[00:18:58]Plea negotiations moved forward. Shakeia accepted a deal and pleaded guilty.

[00:19:04]At sentencing, [music] the judge reviewed the entire timeline. Every arrest, every bond decision, every warning that had been documented and ignored. The judge acknowledged the role the judicial system played in how things unfolded, but was clear.

[00:19:19]Shakaya Perkins, [music] and her alone, is responsible for what she chose to do.

[00:19:24]She was sentenced [music] to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years.

[00:19:29]The additional charges ran concurrently.

[00:19:32]The prior charges, [music] arson, aggravated assault, criminal threats, criminal damage to property, were dismissed as part of [music] the plea.

[00:19:41]>> Look closely. For the first time we're seeing video of a woman retrieving a gun moments before she murdered her wife.

[00:19:48]She's now pleaded guilty to the crime and channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne is live in midtown Atlanta.

[00:19:54]Mark, there were allegations of domestic violence before the murder, but that suspect got out on bond.

[00:20:02]>> Yeah, a prosecutor with the Fulton County DA's domestic violence division says while the video shows the killer getting the gun moments before this murder, his experience looking at abusive relationships shows how often victims sadly sadly stay in or return to a relationship even as the violence escalates.

[00:20:29]>> In the Perkins case, it is a wife who kills her wife. Um there had been escalating violence.

[00:20:36]>> In November 2022, Shakaya Perkins shot out of the house she shared with her wife Carnesha Perkins, stocked her car, and came back with a gun in her left hand. Then Shakaya shot Carnesha in the head and killed her, says Fulton County senior assistant district attorney Travis Thomas.

[00:20:54]>> Prior to us releasing that video, she decided to take the plea.

[00:20:57]>> He says last month Shakaya Perkins played guilty to murder and more.

[00:21:00]>> She also made plea to life with the possibility of parole. Um that was a plea deal that was offered. So, um she admitted everything.

[00:21:07]>> Thomas says though they shared the bond of matrimony on the day of the murder, Shekoya Perkins should not have been near her wife because Shekoya was out on bond totaling $70,000 on charges of aggravated assault, criminal damage to property, terroristic threats, felony, and arson first degree.

[00:21:25]Conditions including must not come within 200 yards of the victim in those alleged incidents, which was Cornesha.

[00:21:32]>> She tried to run uh Cornesha off the road in her car.

[00:21:36]Uh and this all happened within months of this incident. Um also, there was a incident where she set Cornesha's car, she had a Jeep, um set her car on fire in the driveway.

[00:21:45]>> Thomas says in the vehicle arson, a person believed to be Shekoya Perkins can be seen on doorbell video in the vicinity of the fire. And in another incident, she kicked the door of a residence where Cornesha temporarily stayed. The prosecutor says charges relating to the alleged incidents before the murder were dismissed since Shekoya Perkins agreed to plead guilty in the murder case and accept a life with the possibility of parole sentence.

[00:22:07]Prosecutor Thomas told us he's a former army officer who did two tours in Iraq, but his work as a domestic violence prosecutor in Fulton County has showed him the toll escalating violence can take.

[00:22:18]>> Recognize domestic violence and um seek help. There's a lot of organizations out there that will help.

[00:22:23]>> A transcript indicates the defense said, "My client has never been in real trouble before. You know, this was a toxic relationship that I think both families just wish that they had gone their separate ways and it's just not what happened. They kept trying to work it out."

[00:22:38]>> District Attorney Fani Willis.

[00:22:39]>> We here in Fulton County need to do what they've done all across the country and create a family justice center so the victims here when they are going through this abuse, they have somewhere to go and resources to help them to rebuild their lives.

[00:22:58]>> Now, I guess we're in one of those pop-up showers that Brad just talked about. in 2022. We covered that bond a judge gave in the earlier alleged incidents. A statement that attributed to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said in part, "My office opposed bond in this case. Cases involving domestic violence often involve ongoing danger to the victim."

[00:23:23]We tried to reach out in a number of ways to the defense attorney today.

[00:23:29]Reporting live, Mark Winne, Channel 2 Action News.

[00:23:33]>> Cornisha Butler spent 6 [music] years in a cycle she tried to break out of. She documented, reported, showed up to court, [music] and asked for protection repeatedly.

[00:23:43]The record she built was thorough enough that when it finally mattered in a courtroom, it helped put Shakia away.

[00:23:50]The tragedy is that the same record wasn't enough to keep her safe while she was still here.

[00:23:55]These cases [music] spark conversation for a reason. Be the person to offer help if someone needs it. Trust your instincts and don't ignore warning signs. Subscribe if you haven't already, and I'll catch you in the next one on Crime on Buzz. Thanks for watching.