Michael D. Williams murdered his ex-wife, Marsha Ebanks-Williams, and her son, Robert Adams, authorities said. (Mug shot: Volusia County Sheriff’s Office)
Jurors convicted a man on Friday for shooting his ex-wife and her adult son in front of the son’s young children, according to prosecutors in Volusia County, Florida.
Authorities said that Michael D. Williams, 48, claimed self-defense in killing Marsha Ebanks-Williams, 48, and Robert Adams, 28.
“However, the defendant’s injuries were not significant,” prosecutors wrote. “Detectives photographed a scratch on his upper lip, an abrasion on his left knee and light scratches across his torso. Williams also admitted that neither of the victims had weapons on them or made verbal threats to him.”
The fatal encounter stemmed from a fight over electricity usage at the former couple’s home.
Details from a press statement, the press conference and a partially redacted charging affidavit detail what Chief Deputy Brian Henderson in 2022 described as a “toxic” relationship.
Ebanks-Williams and Williams had been married for about 10 years, but they had divorced in June 2022. According to authorities, the plan was for Ebanks-Williams to sell the house, and the former couple would split the money from the sale. Williams was allowed to stay in the home in the meantime, but deputies described the domestic situation as rocky: Henderson said law enforcement was called out to the residence on East Parkway in the city of DeLand five times just in 2022. There were fights and arguments, but nothing rose to the level of arrests, he said.
Prosecutors said the former couple had called authorities to the home to document arguments, but there were no allegations of violence or threats. That allegedly changed, however, after a days-long argument over power usage at the residence. Williams said he killed the victims in self-defense.
Deputies said they caught him in a contradiction in his post-Miranda interview, however. Williams said he asked the 911 dispatcher if he should go back inside the home and provide aid to the victims and that the dispatcher said no, according to authorities. But the audio showed instead that the dispatcher asked if he would be willing to render aid, and he declined, deputies said.
The court has yet to schedule his sentencing.
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