Ex-marine found guilty of fatally shooting ex-wife and son over electricity

A Florida man is facing up to life in prison after he was found guilty of killing his ex-wife and her son during an altercation over electricity. According to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Michael Williams, who is an ex-marine and a real estate agent, was staying with his ex-wife Marsha Ebanks-Williams and her son Robert Adams when he fatally shot them on September 18, 2022.

The jury returned its verdict on Friday, though the sentencing date is yet to be set. The fatal incident is said to have occurred at a DeLand home that Williams, 48, and the deceased victims were sharing. The killings were also witnessed by Adams’ son and daughter. The minors were aged 5 and 6 when their father and grandmother were killed.

Williams and Ebanks-Williams, 48, were sharing the home despite being divorced. Their divorce terms stipulated that Ebanks-Williams had to sell the home before 2022 and then share the funds with Williams. She also had the option of owning the home by buying her ex-husband out. Williams slept on the couch while Adams, 28, and his mother were occupying rooms when they were sharing the home. 

Williams claimed the two victims treated him unfairly by keeping every light in the house on and also disturbing him when he attempted to get some sleep. The 48-year-old, who also took the stand, testified that he ultimately turned off the power and locked the breaker box after the deceased victims and the two minors went to church on the day of the shooting, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reported. He also said he put the house on lock.

The convicted man further made mention of issues about the home that he wanted to sort out with Ebanks-Williams. He said he and his ex-wife were each supposed to cover half of the home’s bills, but she did not provide funds for an electric bill after he asked her for the money.

Williams said he subsequently went to Orlando and received a notification from the alarm company about something going on at the home. He said he made his way back to the home after he was unable to get more details about what was going on.

After driving back to the home, Williams said he got into an altercation with his ex-wife and her son before he later opened fire on them. Williams, who was armed at the time, claimed the deceased victims attacked him, adding that Adams had tried to get his gun at a certain point.

Williams said he had no choice but to shoot them as he feared for his life. But the prosecutor said the shooting stemmed from Williams being angry.