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Garden City Defendant Enters No Contest Plea in Fatal Shooting of DPD Sgt. Elaine Williams
On June 7, 2019, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy charged Eddie Ray-Jr. Johnson, then 35, of Garden City, MI, in connection with the fatal shooting of Elaine Williams, 34, who was a Detroit police sergeant. They were domestic partners who lived together at the time of her death.
On June 2, 2019, at approximately 11:45 p.m., Garden City police officers were dispatched to the couple's home in the 200 block of Belton in response to a shooting. The officers located the defendant outside of the home. He had sustained a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Once inside the home the officers discovered the lifeless body of Elaine Williams. She was shot multiple times. Medics arrived at the location and pronounced Sgt. William's deceased. The defendant was taken into custody and transported to a local hospital for treatment of his wound.
Earlier in the evening the couple went out with their neighbors on Belton Street to a local bar. After returning to their home the neighbors heard the couple arguing. One neighbor heard multiple gunshots coming from the house and then saw Johnson exiting from the front of the house suffering from a gunshot wound. Postmortem toxicology reports show that Sgt. William's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was 0.240 grams per 100 milliliters of blood at the time of her death. Medical records for Johnson show that his (BAC) was 0.189 grams per 100 milliliters of blood after admission to the hospital.
Eight .40 caliber shell casings were located inside the residence near Sgt. William's body. All eight shell casings were examined by the Michigan State Police Forensic Laboratory. All eight shell casings were identified as being fired from a .40 caliber Smith and Wesson pistol. This pistol was issued to Elaine Williams in the course of her employment as a sergeant with the Detroit Police Department.
Johnson was interviewed by Garden City police officers in his recovery bed after his surgery at Oakwood hospital. During two interviews, the defendant stated that he shot Elaine Williams during a struggle after she shot him one time.
"I take all domestic violence cases very seriously. I also take my role as Prosecutor very seriously. The evidence was carefully considered by three veteran assistant prosecutors and myself. In this case, where both parties were shot with the same gun, the order of events is open to multiple interpretations. Considering our burden of proof, we believe this is an appropriate resolution. The decision to offer this plea to this defendant was not what we wanted to do, but it was the just thing to do," said Prosecutor Worthy.
Johnson was originally charged with First Degree Murder and Felony Firearm. Today he was offered a plea reduction, and he entered a plea of no contest to Manslaughter with a sentence agreement of three years' probation and any violation found by the court will result in a guideline sentence of 57 months minimum to 95 months maximum to 15 years in prison. The Felony Firearm charge was dismissed. The plea agreement also contains any restrictions, and any other terms and conditions placed by the court at the time of sentencing.
Defendant Johnson will be sentenced on Friday, June 14, 2024, at 8:45 a.m., before Judge Charise Anderson in the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice.
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