Man who said fiancee’s death was self-defense is convicted after outcry, officials say
An Ohio man was found guilty of murder in the shooting death of his fiancee, according to news outlets.
Tirrell Edwards, 41, called 911 in October saying he had just killed his fiancee, 46-year-old Amanda Williams, WJW reported.
When police arrived at the Warrensville Heights home, they found Williams with several gunshot wounds, the news outlet reported. She was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
“This truly hurts. Amanda was a beautiful soul. She was a genuine person who loved people and was gifted and anointed to beautify others,” one person wrote on Facebook, McClatchy News reported at the time.
Edwards was taken into custody for questioning, but he was later released due to a lack of evidence, WEWS reported. He told authorities he had shot WIlliams in self-defense.
However, he was indicted by a grand jury a few weeks later after ”outcry from friends, family and community members,” according to WEWS.
Family members told WJW that Williams’ death came after years of “abuse and manipulation.”
During his trial, Edwards testified that Williams lunged at him with a knife and he was left with no choice but to shoot her, according to WEWS.
“I just shot rapidly. I was scared. She had me so scared with that knife,” Edwards said while on the stand, WKYC reported.
However, prosecutors argued against that claim, according to the news outlet.
“The State of Ohio believes that Amanda Williams’s death was an intentional homicide without justification and the evidence we presented has conclusively proven that,” said Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley in a statement to WKYC.
Williams was a mother and grandmother, as well as a popular hair stylist in the area, WJW reported.
“There’s some people, and I’ve been doing this a long time, that when they walk in the room, they light up the room; that was her, and she’ll be sorely missed, and we’re grieving the needless death because of domestic violence,” Pastor R. A. Vernon told WEWS.
Edwards was found guilty on two counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault, and one court of domestic violence, WKYC reported. He will be sentenced on March 11.
Warrensville Heights is about 15 miles southeast of Cleveland.
If you are experiencing domestic violence and need someone to talk to, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline for support at 1-800-799-7233 or text “START” to 88788.
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