News

Williams charged with murder

Posted June 23, 2016 11:00 pm

By Pete Spitler Staff Writer

As a Chester community grapples with its first homicide outside of Menard Correctional Center in a dozen years, many friends, family and acquaintances of both parties involved have been asking why.

On Thursday, Randolph County State's Attorney Jeremy Walker announced 26-year-old London S. Williams, of Rockwood, had been charged with first degree murder in the stabbing of 26-year-old Timothy J. "T.J." Michael, of Chester.

Michael suffered critical injuries in the Wednesday morning altercation and later died at Chester Memorial Hospital.

First-degree murder is a Class X felony punishable by up to 60 years in prison. Williams - if convicted - would not be eligible for early release and would have to serve all of his sentence.

"I am all about details if we can release them, but whenever a case is pending, there isn't much I can talk about," Walker said. "If there's a preliminary hearing, details would be released on what happened that night."

During a bond hearing on Thursday, Williams indicated he would be hiring private counsel in the case. His bond was set at $1 million and he remains incarcerated at Randolph County Jail.

Williams is due back in Randolph County court on June 30 at 10 a.m. for a status hearing on his attorney.

"Whenever an individual says they are going to hire private counsel, but that person has not appeared in the case yet, they schedule a status hearing," Walker said. "If that attorney has entered in their appearance, then we would go ahead with a preliminary hearing."

Walker told the Herald Tribune that by law, a preliminary hearing would have to occur within 30 days of an arrest, which was June 22 in this case.

But there are some exceptions.

"If a defendant says, 'Yeah we've hired an attorney and the attorney requires some money,' that stops (the deadline)," Walker said. "As long as it's agreed upon beyond the 30 days, it's OK."

According to the charging document, Williams is accused of stabbing Michael in the head and the torso "knowing such acts created a strong probability of great bodily harm to Timothy J. Michael, thereby causing the death of Timothy J. "T.J." Michael."

Social media reaction also showed a community in shock and disbelief over the incident. Multiple sources have told the Herald Tribune that Williams and Michael were friends and former co-workers.

Both are family men who were expecting new arrivals. Michael's finance, Ashley Maurer of Chester, is expecting a daughter, Memphis, in August.

Williams reportedly has two young children with a third on the way.

"This is just heartbreaking," Danyel Martin wrote on the newspaper's Facebook page. "Anyone that knows London knows that this makes no sense."

"This makes no sense to me," David Babbit wrote. "There's more to this story."

Others expressed their memories of Michael and prayers for his family and that of Williams. A candle lighting memorial service was held Thursday evening outside of Bernasek's Bar and Grill, the site of the Wednesday morning stabbing.

"They both were like my bodyguards," said a source, who went to high school with both men and wished to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the situation. "They were like that to many girls.

"I knew I was safe if they were there, we would always go driving around on back roads just exploring the country."

The source said Williams played sports in school and Michael was athletic, but in a different way having spent time swimming in the pool and riding his bike around Chester.

"Why didn't anyone stop them?" the source asked. "Why did they let it get that bad, because they wanted to see a fight.

"Because they wanted to record it on their phones? I doubt alcohol played a big role in this but more of just flat-out ego."

A GoFundMe page (www.gofundme.com/2aqdewa4) for Michael's funeral expenses was about halfway toward its goal of $10,000 by Friday afternoon.

According to the newspaper's archives, the last murder in Chester - outside of city's state facilities - occurred February 18, 2004.

Then 41-year-old Kevin S. Cavenar was living with his girlfriend, 37-year-old Frances Tobben, at 1520 High St.

Both worked for Gilster-Mary Lee and had moved to the area from Missouri to be near Cavenar's mother.

Testimony during the trial indicated that Tobben had ended her relationship with Cavenar and was returning home to retrieve some belongings.

When Tobben told Cavenar she was moving out, he attacked her.

Tobben's friend, Melody Westbrook, testified that she observed Cavenar grab Tobben by the hood of her clothing, bang her head against the door frame, drag her inside and lock the door.

Westbrook testified she heard Tobben screaming for help from inside.

Tobben was stabbed four times in the heart and once in the side by a folding knife and later died on the helicopter ride to St. Louis University Hospital. Current Chester Police Chief Ryan Coffey was a detective at the time and testified in the case.

After an hour of deliberations, the Randolph County jury convicted Cavenar of first-degree murder.

He was sentenced in September 2004 to 40 years in prison by former Circuit Court Judge William Schuwerk, Jr. and is now an inmate at Menard.

Article Categories
Crime News