Child visitation dispute at center of fatal Beaufort shooting, police say

This story was updated Jan. 22, 2015, after police confirmed Nicholas Hector Degros had reported Jasmine Femia to law enforcement for failing to follow their visitation schedule.

The 21-year-old woman accused of killing a Beaufort father of five this month was involved in an ongoing dispute with him over child visitation rights, according to a Beaufort County Family Court official.

At the time of Nicholas Hector Degros' death, he was preparing to take Jasmine Nicole Femia to court over visitation rights involving their 2-year-old son, who was in Femia's custody, said Beaufort County Family Court Division Chief Vanessa Bryan.

The second suspect in the shooting, Anthony Clyde Ellison, lived with Femia in Port Royal and had been out of prison less than three months when Degros was killed at the corner of Washington and Wilmington streets, according to Beaufort police Investigator Charles Raley.

Ellison, 38, pleaded guilty to armed robbery in Columbia in 2006 and served eight and a half years before his release Oct. 31, according to Raley and court records.

The pair were identified after Femia was linked to a rented vehicle seen leaving the scene of the shooting, according to police. Ellison confessed to the shooting following his arrest Jan. 16, police said.

Reached Wednesday, Deputy Chief Dale McDorman declined to say which suspect fired shots at Degros, 30, but said the father was targeted over the child custody issue.

The two parents' disagreements were on Degros' fiancee's mind when Femia attended his funeral Jan 14. However, Amanda Allen, 30, said she was glad to see Degros' son and Femia's other child, who Degros also treated as his own.

"(Femia) didn't let him be the daddy he wanted to be, and that's all he wanted to be," Allen, 30, said. "He was one of those standup guys."

Degros had been paying child support for his son since 2012 and had been granted visitation rights in May 2014, according to Family Court.

However, Degros had asked the court to bring Femia before a judge again, claiming she was refusing to follow their visitation agreement, Bryan said. A hearing was scheduled for Jan. 14, she said.

Degros was killed Jan. 9.

Ellison and Femia were charged with murder and criminal conspiracy in his death. The Department of Social Services has become involved in the case, Bryan said.

The Beaufort Police Department has two previous reports involving the parents. On Aug. 15, Degros called police when Femia did not show up for a child-custody exchange, according to the department. On Sept. 5, Femia called police and claimed the toddler had displayed sexual behavior twice since unsupervised visitations with Degros began in May. Police determined the child was too young to be interviewed, and the allegations were neither specific nor founded.

Femia also said in the police report that she stopped allowing Degros visitation and was awaiting a hearing in Family Court to address her concerns. Bryan said Femia never filed action with the court or asked for a hearing.

Allen said her allegations were false, adding that Degros called the police several times when Femia would try to change his visitation schedule.

"He lived for his children, he died for his children," Allen said. "I have children of my own. If I thought for one minute he would do anything, he wouldn't be with my kids."

While Degros had been watching over his son for only about seven months, he had been a caretaker for nearly half of his life, Allen said.

At 15, Degros began caring for his severely diabetic grandmother and later moved with her from Brooklyn to the Beaufort area to give her around-the-clock care.

"He was great, wonderful, all of the above," Allen said. "I don't know if I could do it now at 30, and he did it at a young age."

Degros was equally dedicated to his children. Between shifts at a grocery store, Degros would cook, help with homework, pick his kids up from school and make time to foster each of their interests, from video games and cars to art and sports, she said.

"He looked forward to life, growing old, having grandkids," Allen said. "He told me all the time we were going to be the old couple in the rocking chairs, watching our grandkids play.

"He deserved that more than anybody in this world."

Family and friends are now working to keep the pair suspected of killing Degros in jail. As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, more than 1,160 people had signed an online petition seeking to deny the two bond.

The date of their bond hearing on murder charges was not available Wednesday.

Ellison was also charged with possession of a weapon by a felon and during the commission of a violent crime. He reportedly wanted to marry Femia, who does not have a criminal history, Raley said.

Follow reporter Rebecca Lurye on Twitter at twitter.com/IPBG_Rebecca.

Related content:

• In Beaufort, a feeling that crime is on the rise, January 18, 2015
• 'We've got to get justice': Community holds vigil for slain Beaufort man, January 13, 2015

This story was originally published January 21, 2015 at 10:25 AM with the headline "Child visitation dispute at center of fatal Beaufort shooting, police say."