CHESTERFIELD, Va. (WTVR) -- A jury has recommended the man convicted in a brutal Thanksgiving Day attack on his girlfriend and her 16-year-old son spend 104 years in prison.
Thanksgiving will haunt Tarmesha Jones and her family for years to come.
Weeping from the stand Wednesday afternoon she recounted the horror of November 22nd last year.
Thanksgiving night 2012, and a fight about a Black Friday shopping trip led to seven shots fired at an apartment door. Michael Williams’ defense attorney claimed his client never meant for the bullets to hit anyone inside.
"No one wins in this situation," said the suspect’s father, George Williams.
Prosecutors though, painted a different picture.
They say Williams shot at the door, then came inside, pistol whipping his girlfriend and her 16-year-old son before shooting that teen and his ten-year-old brother. He then stomped on him so badly the boy suffered a severe rug burn.
Williams was also blamed for shooting his girlfriend in the leg. He was charged with attempted murder, aggravated malicious wounding and five gun charges.
Wednesday a jury of eight women and four men decided his fate: guilty on all counts.
"I’m surprised the verdict was that quick,” said Williams. “I expected a little longer deliberation."
It took the jury just 30 minutes to say they had a unanimous vote.
They heard emotional testimony where the girlfriend took the stand weeping at times.
The now 11-year-old son was in attendance as was the 16-year-old survivor who prosecutors referred to as the wounded warrior. They said he was trying to protect his mom. He lost his left leg from the knee down
George Williams is also a pastor and says the Thanksgiving tragedy his son unleashed will be with both families until they "leave here."
"It affects us all,” the senior Williams said. “We hold no animosity towards them, nothing like that. We just put it in the Lord’s hands. Pray for their family and pray for ours with hopes the lord will guide us."
Michael Williams will be sentenced Thursday morning. Prosecutors tell me he faces a minimum of 90 years in prison. George Williams says he's told his son to prepare his mind to be locked away from society.
