On or around March 21, 2023, at approximately 10 P.M., Charles Slacks Jr. entered a home at the 100 block of Whitetail Circle in the Woodridge subdivision of Sumter, South Carolina, using a key to the property he co-owned with his ex-wife, Aletha Holliday. Upon finding Holliday in the backyard speaking with her 38-year-old male co-worker, Sergeant Major Carlos Evans, Slacks shot and killed Evans. He then went inside the home and shot and killed his three stepchildren/children — 5-year-old Aayden Holliday-Slacks, 6-year-old Aason Holliday-Slacks, and 11-year-old Ava Holliday — as they slept in their beds. Slacks was the biological father of Aayden and Aason and the stepfather of Ava. After killing the children, Slacks shot and killed himself in the home in front of Holliday. Five people died in total in this murder-suicide incident.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
Both documents describe the children being shot and killed. The WIS article states: "The children...were shot and killed on Tuesday by Holliday's ex-husband, Charles Slacks, Jr." The State article states: "Police say Holliday witnessed her ex-husband Charles Slacks Jr. shoot and kill himself in her Sumter home after he shot and killed" the three children.
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
The WIS article states the children were "shot and killed on Tuesday by Holliday's ex-husband, Charles Slacks, Jr." The State article confirms "he shot and killed 5-year-old Aayden Holliday-Slacks, 6-year-old Aason Holliday-Slacks and their 11-year-old half-sister, Ava Holliday, as they slept in their beds." Shooting constitutes inflicted injury.
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
The State article explicitly states: "Police say Holliday witnessed her ex-husband Charles Slacks Jr. shoot and kill himself in her Sumter home after he shot and killed 5-year-old Aayden Holliday-Slacks, 6-year-old Aason Holliday-Slacks and their 11-year-old half-sister, Ava Holliday." The WIS article also notes that the shooting left "five dead," which includes the three children, the co-worker Carlos Evans, and the shooter himself. This is clearly a murder-suicide.
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
The WIS article states: "Slacks were the father to Aayden and Aason." Charles Slacks Jr. was the biological father of two of the three child victims (Aayden Holliday-Slacks and Aason Holliday-Slacks) and was the perpetrator who shot and killed them.
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
The WIS article states: "Slacks were the father to Aayden and Aason, and stepfather to Ava." Charles Slacks Jr. was the stepfather to Ava Holliday and was the perpetrator who shot and killed her along with his two biological children.
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
While the term "domestic violence" is not explicitly used, the circumstances described constitute domestic violence. The WIS article states that Charles Slacks Jr. (the mother's ex-husband) "entered the home he co-owned with Holliday using a key," discovered his ex-wife in the backyard with a male co-worker, then shot the co-worker and subsequently went inside and killed the three children. The State article adds that he then killed himself in the home. The entire incident — an ex-husband entering the family home and committing murder — constitutes domestic violence.
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Notable Details
Several notable contextual details emerge from the documents. The WIS article reports that the perpetrator "entered the home he co-owned with Holliday using a key" and "discovered his ex-wife in the backyard speaking with her 38-year-old male co-worker," Sergeant Major Carlos Evans, whom he shot first before going inside to kill the children. The State article clarifies that the children were shot "as they slept in their beds" and that Holliday "witnessed her ex-husband Charles Slacks Jr. shoot and kill himself in her Sumter home." The total death toll was five: three children, the co-worker Carlos Evans, and the perpetrator himself. The apparent triggering factor — the ex-husband finding his ex-wife with another man — and the fact that the perpetrator retained a key to the co-owned home are significant contextual details about how this domestic violence murder-suicide unfolded.
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