VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A Volusia County man is headed to prison for the 2022 murders of his ex-wife and her adult son.
▶ WATCH CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS
A Volusia County jury found 49-year-old Michael D. Williams guilty of two counts of second-degree murder with a firearm after a four-day trial back in March.
Volusia County deputies responded to the home Williams still shared with the victims on East Parkway in DeLand just before 8 p.m. on September 18, 2022 after he called 911 himself and said he’d shot his 48-year-old ex-wife and 28-year-old stepson.
READ: Suspected drug dealer charged with manslaughter for fentanyl overdose death
Responding deputies immediately took Williams into custody before finding the two victims dead inside the home from multiple gunshot wounds.
According to the sheriff’s office, Williams and his wife had been in an “ongoing dispute” over domestic issues.
Williams told investigators that on the night before the shooting, in particular, he and his ex-wife got into an argument over leaving the lights on in the house and how it would “run up the electricity bill.”
Williams told investigators he came home the next night, and a “confrontation” began between him and his ex-wife that escalated to both victims attacking him.
READ: Seminole County Clerk announces new Domestic Violence Service Center
Williams initially claimed he fired his gun in self-defense, but investigators determined his injuries were “not significant.”
Investigators also said Williams also admitted himself that neither victim was armed with any weapons or made threats to him.
Williams’ arrest report also notes the male victim’s young children witnessed the shooting.
“The defendant shot and killed a grandmother and father in front of their 5-year-old grandson/son and 6-year-old granddaughter/daughter,” State Attorney R.J. Larizza said about the case after the verdict was announced. “It is inconceivable to imagine the hurt and grief those precious children will endure over the course of their lifetimes. There is no sentence the court can impose that will sufficiently punish the defendant for the heartache and damage he has caused.”
During a hearing Friday, Judge Randell Rowe III sentenced Williams to two consecutive life sentences in the Department of Corrections.
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant State Attorney Mark Interlicchio is credited with successfully trying the case for the state.
This browser does not support the video element.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.