By Shavonne Potts
spotts@salisburypost.com
Authorities say a woman charged with killing another woman with her car early Monday had attended a party with the victim Sunday night.
Police say Davina Mocha Miller, 22, of 121 W. Eleventh St., hit and then ran over Sharmay Denise Perry, 28, of 625 E. Lafayette St.
Miller is charged with murder.
At 1:54 a.m. Monday, Salisbury Police officers were dispatched to a mobile home park on East Lafayette Street in reference to a vehicle striking a pedestrian.
When they arrived, the officers discovered Perry lying under a 2001 Toyota Camry. Emergency Medical Responders arrived on the scene and determined that Perry was dead.
Investigators say Perry, Miller and others attended a party earlier in the evening. Perry left the party with Miller, who was driving her home. Before arriving at Perry’s home, the two began to argue, a Police Department statement said.
Perry got out of the vehicle. Miller continued on to the residence to retrieve some clothing.
As Miller was leaving, Perry walked up and the argument continued, police said. Miller then accelerated and struck Perry, who was standing about 10 feet away, with the car. After hitting Perry, the car stopped on top of her.
A neighbor told news media that Perry was pregnant, but Wilhelm said he did not know if that was true.
“That will have to be determined by the medical examiner,” he said.
A witness reported seeing the incident unfold. Calvin Anthony Brotherton said he heard the argument and awoke to see a “late-model sedan” run over the victim. He said he attempted to call 911 but that the car’s driver, Miller, took the phone from him.
Brotherton said the woman who took his phone apparently did not call 911, though she had his phone for nearly 30 minutes.
Witnesses checked to see if Perry was still alive and tried unsuccessfully to remove her from underneath the car. By the time emergency officials arrived, Perry was apparently already dead.
Miller and Perry both have had previous run-ins with law enforcement.
Miller was convicted of misdemeanor communicating threats in April for an offense that occurred in October 2007. She spent 45 days in the N.C. Department of Correction.
Another charge of communicating threats was dismissed by the court in April, when a witness did not show up in court. That offense occurred in June 2007.
Miller was also convicted in September 2005 on more than 20 charges of writing worthless checks.
The court dismissed a charge of misdemeanor simple assault against Perry in February 2007. The incident occurred October 2006.
Perry was found not guilty in November 2002 of misdemeanor injury to personal property. The incident occurred in August 2002. The court dismissed a charge of not having an operator’s license in May 2000.
In September 2002, Perry was charged with felony possession of stolen property. She was convicted March 2003 of the lesser offense of misdemeanor possession of stolen property.
Authorities charged Perry in December 2002 with felony possession of a controlled substance on prison or jail premises. She was convicted in March 2004 of a lesser offense of felony possession of a controlled substance.
Also in December 2002, Perry was charged with felony trafficking in cocaine. In March 2004, she was convicted of the lesser felony offense of attempted cocaine trafficking.
Perry also had a pending felony case on a charge of possession of a firearm by a felon.
Miller is being held in the Rowan County Detention Center without bond pending a first-appearance hearing in Rowan County District Court today, according to arrest reports.