Bio

Shaquan Renee Duley was born in 1981.

She lived in Orangeburg, South Carolina. At the time of later news reports she lived in a rented home with her mother.

Her mother's name is Helen Duley. She also had a sister, Adrian Duley, who spoke for the family in public settings.

Family members described Shaquan as loving, caring, and gentle. They said she showed affection for children.

Murder Story

On August 16, 2010, Shaquan Duley killed her two young sons. Investigators say she suffocated them. She then placed their bodies in her car and sent the car into the North Edisto River at Shillings Bridge in Orangeburg County, South Carolina. Divers recovered the boys.

The victims were her sons, 2-year-old Devean C. Duley and 18-month-old Ja'van T. Duley. Duley was arrested the next day. She initially told police the car had driven into the river by accident, but she later confessed.

A coroner’s inquest and police reports said Duley used her hands to smother the boys. Investigators noted there were no skid marks or other signs of a crash. Authorities charged her with two counts of murder and she was held without bond.

Court records and news reports say Duley told officers she was depressed, failing online classes, and out of work. Family fights and lack of contact with the boys’ father were also cited by investigators as factors. After the deaths, she made several suicide attempts, according to her attorney.

A state-appointed forensic psychiatrist found Duley suffered from mental illness but knew right from wrong. On March 16, 2012, she pleaded guilty to two counts of murder without a deal. On March 30, 2012, she was sentenced to 35 years in prison. She was born in 1981.