A Tuscaloosa man has pleaded guilty in the 2020 killing of his ex-wife in west Alabama.
Travis Terrell Williams, 41, was charged with capital murder in the slaying of his wife, 49-year-old Maronda Parker Williams.
District Attorney Andy Hamlin, who represents Alabama’s 24th Judicial Circuit, said Williams pleaded guilty to two counts of murder this week. Circuit Judge Sam Junkin sentenced Williams to two consecutive life sentences.
“I am pleased we were able to obtain justice for Ms. Williams and her loved ones without subjecting them an emotional and difficult jury trial,’’ Hamlin said Friday.
“My sincere hope is that he spends the rest of his life behind bars.
A friend found the victim dead in her home on Alabama Highway 19 East outside of Fayette on Jan. 21, 2020. Charging documents again Williams said the victim was stabbed.
Authorities described Parker Williams’ death as a brutal attack.
The ex-husband had recently been released from prison after serving time for a conviction in Tuscaloosa County when he went to his ex-wife’s home on Jan. 19, 2020.
He made the trip because she had agreed to loan him money, and became violent when she offered $50 less than the $250 he’d requested, Hamlin said.
Parker was found dead two days later. She had suffered multiple injuries from the attack, and investigators recovered two bloody knives from a trash can outside the home.
Evidence at the scene revealed that Williams had broken a window and arranged items in the house to make it look like a burglary.
He then tossed his ex-wife’s phone, wallet and shoes in an outdoor gas station on Highway 43 North while he was on his way home to Tuscaloosa.
“Travis Williams defendant has a long history of violence, and our community is safer with him behind bars,” Hamlin said. “This case underscores the importance of supporting victims of domestic violence and holding perpetrators accountable for their actions.”
The case was investigated by agents of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, the Alabama State Bureau of Investigation, and the Criminal Investigation Division of the District Attorney’s Office.
