Edna Amerson, 67, of Lamar, will never forget her last moments with her husband of 52 years.
"Before I unplugged him, I told him to forgive me. I'm sorry for what I was fixing to do. That I told him. I said I'll be alright, you just go ahead and turn loose. So I asked God to go ahead and take him, so he died real peaceful," said Amerson.
On January 27th, Derrick Amerson, 70, was shot during a home invasion at their house on Pine Street in Lamar.
Amerson says she left her side door open because her granddaughter always comes over to check on them. She says two men walked through the door and immediately began attacking her.
"They were beating me so bad my head. I called for my husband to come get me, help me and the boy run to the front of the couch and watched him come. My husband reached for the gun when he realized what was happening and the boy popped him over his eye," said Amerson.
She says the men repeatedly asked for money and she told them she would give them money if they would stop beating her husband. Amerson says at that point, the situation became more violent and they turned the gun on her husband.
"He stuck the shot gun right down in his stomach and he shot him. Then he went to fumbling around with his pocket then he took his wallet. He run back over there and throwed the gun back in my face. My husband never lost conscious. He begged them not to shoot me," explained Amerson.
She says the men then left, leaving her husband bleeding on the floor. Amerson says she was so nervous she couldn't dial 911.
Minutes later, her granddaughter came over and called 911.
Derrick Amerson went through at least nine surgeries to save his life, but died 27 days after the home invasion.
"He knowed everytime I was in the room. He knew I was there even much when I had to unplug him, he knew, he knew I was there. I stayed right there with him. There holding his hand," said Amerson.
She says it's her prayer for deputies to solve this case. Amerson says until then ,she'll live in fear.
"I sleep with a gun, have to tell you. I sleep with a gun under my pillow every night now. I just can't let them come again," Amerson explained.
Darlington County Sheriff Wayne Byrd says it's going to take some time.
"Ninety-five percent of the time figuring out what happened and who did isn't the hard part of solving the crime. Those things you usually know pretty soon, right way in most cases. We understand that it's hard on a family when an arrests or charges aren't brought right away but it's much more important to make sure number one you get the right person. Number two when you do get right person, you're able to put them away and keep them put away," said Sheriff Wayne Byrd.
Amerson is looking forward to that day when arrests are made. She misses her husband dearly and calls him her hero.
"He saved my life . He sure did. He lost his, but he saved mine," said Amerson.
The Amerson's would have celebrated their 53rd anniversary next month.
If you have any information, you're asked to call the Darlington County Sheriff's Office at 398-4501.
