Morgan Sims, 36, was convicted of manslaughter in the death of her husband on April 20, 2018. Sims was accused of attacking her husband of seven years, Daray Sims, 37, in the shower, shooting him, then fleeing the scene, leaving their two children, ages 2 and 6, unattended.
Sims was acquitted of the murder charge and was instead sentenced by a Collin County jury to ten years of probation for manslaughter. State District Judge Tom Nowak elected to add 180 days of jail time to the jury’s decision, which Sims began serving on November 19.
Prosecutors sought twenty years in prison for Sims, the maximum sentence for manslaughter, for killing her husband. However, Sims’ lawyers argued that she acted in self-defense and asked the jury to exonerate her of all charges.
Daray Sims died from gunshot wounds after he was shot four times in his torso. After receiving two disturbance calls, officers found Daray Sims’ body on the floor in the master bathroom and the Sims’ young children alone in the home.
Sims testified in court to enduring years of abuse during their marriage, including when Daray Sims was arrested in 2014 for choking her. Photos were presented to jurors documenting years of injuries allegedly inflicted by her husband.
According to her testimony, on the day her husband was killed, the two had argued over divorce. She said that Daray Sims took her keys from her and threw her down, refusing to let her leave their home.
Sims testified that she went to the bathroom to take a shower and her husband followed her in, claiming that he attempted to force himself on her, which caused her to flee and retrieve a gun from the closet. Sims said her husband grabbed and hit her, at which point she defended herself with the weapon.
Prosecutors dispute Sims’ version of events. They offered text messages between the couple from the previous day showing Morgan Sims had discovered her husband had sought sexual encounters online and that Daray Sims had returned home after she had informed him of her discovery.
They claim that Daray Sims was showering because he had mowed the lawn about ten minutes before being shot, as evidenced by a home surveillance video.
After the shooting, police located Morgan Sims in her car near Anna, Texas, where she was found in possession of passports, money, and her husband’s wallet, phone, and keys. According to cell phone records, she had also used her phone to map a route to Mexico.
After a three-week trial, Sims was found not guilty of murder and was convicted of manslaughter. She began serving her jail time in mid-November.
For more Dallas crime-related news, see how Dallas City Councilmember Chad West of District 1 was named The Dallas Express’ Crime Boss of the Month for July 2022.