A Florida man went into a rage about his family using too much electricity. The recently divorced man, still living with his wife and stepson in their shared house, fatally shot his two family members after a disagreement about power usage on September 18.
Michael D. Williams, 47, was arrested and charged with the first-degree murder of stepson, Robert Adams, 28, and ex-wife, Marsha Ebanks-Williams, 47.
The murder occurred in the Deland, Florida home, which the couple shared during their ten-year marriage.
The Volusia Sheriff’s office issued a statement confirming that after committing the crime, Mr. Williams called 911 on Sunday evening at around 8 pm, claiming he had shot his ex-wife and stepson in self-defense.
The Sheriff’s statement claimed that when the deputies arrived at the scene, in the Daytona Park Estates neighborhood, they found Williams sitting in a car parked in the driveway. He surrendered to law enforcement officers without resistance and was taken into custody.
Two bodies were found in the house. Two unharmed children of the stepson, Adams, aged five and six, who were visiting their dad from Tallahassee, were also present in the home. According to authorities, the children may have witnessed the murders.
Upon interrogation by detectives, Williams said that the violence erupted following a argument about electricity usage. He told detectives that he locked the house’s power panel before he left home on Sunday. When returning home, he found that the family members had cut the lock, restored power, and replaced the lock with a new one, according to Chief Deputy Brian Henderson.
Chief Deputy Henderson said, during a press briefing, that when Williams returned home, he was upset that the family members were leaving the lights on, and they had added a new lock on the panel. This sparked an argument between them and later led to him killing them.
According to Williams, he was acting in self-defense, and claims he was provoked and punched in the face. Chief Deputy Henderson said there was no sign of injury on Williams, adding that whatever happened wasn’t a dangerous attack that would warrant him shooting the victims multiple times.
Williams and his ex-wife had a very tense relationship, forced to live together due to financial problems. Deputy Henderson described the union as toxic and said Marsha Williams had called the sheriff’s office hours before the attack, looking for legal advice. The couple had also called the deputy’s office several times because they needed advice or referrals about trying to sell their house. The Volusia Sheriff’s Office claims it had received at least five calls from Mr. Williams, but none contained violent threats.
Williams has a history of other crimes, including an assault on a law enforcement officer, domestic violence, bounced checks, and child abuse.
The suspect is being held without bond in the Volusia County Branch jail, where he was taken on Monday. On October 19, 2022, he will face two charges of first-degree murder of Marsha Ebanks-Williams and Robert Adams.