Friends, co-workers remember Sulyn Prince

Friends and coworkers of Sulyn Prince – the slain Webster Parish Sheriff’s deputy – say they are heartbroken at her loss.

Prince

“I can tell you the world lost a real good person,” Tommy Prince, her ex-husband said.

He says they were close even following their recent divorce.

“We were trying to work things out,” he said. “I just talked to her last Thursday.”

Tommy Prince says he and his ex-wife were married for eight years and divorced a little more than a year ago. He reiterated what many have said about her, that she did not have anything bad to say about anyone. She always looked for the good in people, even him, he said.

“She was a wonderful wife,” he said. “She taught me so many life lessons. She was always about doing the right thing, whether it was popular or not. She believed in what was right.”

John Lewis, warden of Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center, says he and all her coworkers are in shock over her loss.

“People are walking around here kind of like a zombie today (Tuesday),” he said. “I had deputies calling me until at least 1:30 this morning crying. We’re hurt. This one hurts our hearts real bad.”

He says he’s received numerous phone calls since Prince’s death, including ex-inmates calling to give their condolences.

Lewis says she was close with her coworkers and she never had a negative thing to say about anyone.

“She always had such a sweet disposition about her,” he said. “She always had a grin on her face; everybody loved her. She was awesome and did great at her job.”

Lewis says she’s been with BDCC for about 11 and half years as the master control operator.

Rebecca Shelley-Sherrard, a friend of Prince, says she had a soft spot for people that have made bad decisions in life.

“She loved her job and the people she worked with,” she said. “I’m just very sad for Tommy and her girls and family. She always looked for the good in people.”

Sulyn Prince, 68, was found in a shallow grave in a wooded area around Gill Street in Homer late Monday night, Louisiana State Police Trooper Matt Harris said.

Homer Police Chief Russell Mills says when they received the report that morning they conducted a welfare check at her home, adding he knew things weren’t right Monday morning.

“Our gut feeling at that time was just all over the place,” he said. “It just didn’t sit well with us. The case was looking more like a homicide, and due to the totality of the circumstances, we called forensic examiners to come in and process the scene. ”
Jermaine Johnson, 35, of Homer, was arrested for second-degree murder about 5 a.m. Tuesday on St. John Road off Highway 518 in Claiborne Parish, Harris said.

Police are not releasing how she died or any other facts in the case because it is still under investigation, Harris said. Other charges may be pending and the second-degree murder charge could be upgraded pending the outcome of the investigation.

Sulyn Prince is survived by three daughters, seven grandchildren and her two dogs, Gus and Nellie.