Bio

Mitchell Carlton Sims was born in 1960. He grew up in South Carolina. His family life was troubled. His mother, Mildred, was married to a man named Arnold Cranford. Cranford was known to be violent and abusive, especially when he drank. Mildred later testified that he had sexually abused Sims when he was young. This experience left a deep impact on Sims.

As a teenager, Sims struggled with his emotions and turned to alcohol. He began drinking heavily at the age of fourteen. He also attempted suicide during his adolescence. Throughout his childhood, Sims faced physical and emotional abuse from his stepfather, which affected him greatly.

By the time he reached adulthood, Sims was married. His wife, Theresa, had known him since they were children. They had three children together. During their marriage, Sims had a difficult time dealing with his past and often felt worthless. He tried to escape his feelings through substance abuse.

Sims worked at various jobs, including as a manager at a Domino's Pizza restaurant in West Columbia, South Carolina. However, he was unhappy with his job and felt that his boss had treated him unfairly. After quitting, he expressed anger about being denied part of a bonus. This anger may have contributed to his later actions.

Sims started a relationship with a younger woman named Ruby Padgett. They began to drift around together. Sims was known to have an unusual sense of humor about himself. He often referred to himself as "a human ashtray" and would stub out cigarettes on his chest.

Murder Story

On December 3, 1985, in Hanahan, South Carolina, Mitchell Carlton Sims entered a Domino's Pizza restaurant where he had previously worked. He held two employees at gunpoint during an armed robbery. He shot both of them execution-style. One of the victims managed to escape and identified Sims before collapsing. The second victim died a week later, marking the incident as a double murder.

A week later, on December 10, Sims and his girlfriend Ruby Padgett were in Glendale, California. They ordered a Domino's pizza to their motel room. When the deliveryman, John Steven Harrigan, arrived, Sims attacked him. He bound and gagged Harrigan, then drowned him in the bathtub while wearing the dead man's uniform. After the murder, Sims and Padgett robbed the store, leaving two employees bound in a way that forced them to stand on tiptoe to avoid choking.

The two victims managed to escape and reported the crimes to the police. They provided details about Sims and Padgett, which helped authorities identify them. Sims and Padgett fled to Las Vegas, where they were arrested on Christmas Day, December 25, 1985, after being recognized from media reports.

Sims was charged with multiple counts of murder and robbery in connection with the events in both South Carolina and California. He was convicted of the murder of John Harrigan on May 20, 1987. Following the conviction, the jury recommended the death penalty, and Sims was sentenced to death on September 11, 1987. He was later brought back to South Carolina to face charges for the murders in December 1985, where he was also found guilty and received another death sentence.