South Carolina man is accused of murdering mom after cops said he LIED about it being an accident

A mother of nine, who was killed while looking out the window of her South Carolina home, was shot dead by a neighbor who was shooting at targets in his yard, authorities said, instead of a ricocheting bullet, he told investigators .

The charge against 30-year-old Nicholas Skylar Lucas was upgraded to murder Monday after the death of Kesha Luwan Lucille Tate, 42.

CID technicians determined that the fatal bullet could not have deflected at an angle from a satellite dish used as a target and then hit the woman in the chest, prosecutor Barry Barnette said.

“You can see the bullet didn’t ricochet. This bullet is in pristine condition,” Barnette said, showing a photo on his phone to a judge during a Cherokee County bail hearing Monday. He said the slug was removed from the victim’s chest during an autopsy.

Tate, 42, fell to the ground and died after being hit by a bullet in her chest as she walked to the window to see what was going on when she heard gunfire, Cherokee County coroner Dennis Fowler said.

Hours later, Lucas, who lives in the house behind Tate, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and drunk shooting.

But prosecutors upped the charge to murder after receiving more evidence, Barnette said. Murder lasts 30 years on conviction, while involuntary manslaughter lasts up to five years.

A motive for the horrific murder has not yet been announced.

The harrowing incident took place around 6:30 p.m. Saturday in Gaffney, South Carolina, the area known as the “Peach Capital of South Carolina.”

Family members said Tate was on the phone with her own mother and wanted to help one of her younger children cook. As she looked out the back door window to see where the shots were coming from, she fell to the ground.

Lucas had to turn and purposely shoot in Tate’s direction to hit her, and the bullet in Tate’s chest matched the size of the ammunition used in the .45-caliber pistol Lucas was firing, Barnette said.

Tate told the judge the shooting was a “complete accident” and he couldn’t believe anyone would think he was killing her on purpose.

“She always asked me for help, I was always in my backyard. I’m really confused about this whole situation,” Tate said. “I did all sorts of yard work for this lady and everything.”

The last words Tate spoke as she lay dying: “Go get help. I love you,” reported WYFF4 News.

Markia Tate, a family member, said: “They literally had to take the kids away from their mother.”

The loved one said Tate has children as young as four.

Months before the tragedy, family members said Tate had expressed concern about the frequent shootings in the area where her home is located.

According to one report, about 30 houses are in close proximity to each other.

Relatives said the proud mother died surrounded by her children, who were inside at the time of the shooting, but no one else was injured.

Tate’s mother was distraught and held a photo of her daughter in her hands. She cried, “I thought she was going to bury me,” she said in part.

Cherokee County Sheriff Steve Mueller said, “It’s overwhelming that one person thinks it’s okay to do target practice or fire a gun in close proximity to so many other homes in a neighborhood,” he said.

Lucas faces up to five years in prison if charged with involuntary manslaughter and up to two years on the misdemeanor shooting amidst influence charges if convicted.

On Tate’s Facebook profile, she wrote that she was single and a “mother of the blessed team of 11.”

One of her daughter’s Traleekia Tate started GoFundMe to raise money for her mother’s funeral expenses. As of Tuesday afternoon, more than $3,600 had been raised to reach their $6,000 goal.