It was an emotionally charged first day Monday in the murder trial of Handy Anthony Willis Jr., accused of killing his former girlfriend, Tamaneka Alexander, on Oct. 6, 2017.
Due to the trial's nature, jury selection was held at the BusinessPlex Community Room before moving to the Marion County Circuit Courthouse Monday afternoon. The honorable Prentiss Harrell is presiding over the projected week-long trial.
Alexander was killed by a single gunshot to the face. When the deputies arrived at the scene, four of her five children were outside screaming and crying, and one of the two-year old twins was sitting at the feet of Alexander screaming. The actual details of what happened and whether or not Willis is guilty of murdering Alexander is what the jury of 12 will have to decide.
In the opening arguments for the State, Assistant District Attorney Laurel Brinkley said they believed Willis and Alexander were going through a break-up, and Willis was helping Alexander relocate to another residence because Willis lived and owned the Water Valley Road home.
Brinkley said Willis and someone from Aaron’s Rentals were delivering furniture to Alexander’s new home. While en route, Willis was the passenger in the vehicle and kept texting someone while the other man drove. Once Willis and the other person arrived at Alexander’s new place, Willis changed his mind and said they weren’t unloading the furniture, and they traveled back to the Water Valley Road location.
Once there, the driver stayed outside while Willis went inside. The driver heard screaming and yelling from the two arguing then heard a gunshot. The driver then went inside the house and saw Alexander lying face down on the floor.
After seeing Willis in the kitchen holding the revolver, the driver panicked and left. When the Marion County sheriff deputies arrived, Brinkley said Willis was found in the backyard with a self-inflicted gunshot to the stomach.
Attorney Matt Eichelberger, who is representing Willis, said in his opening arguments that everyone rushed to judgment due to the matter's high emotions. He claimed that Willis and Alexander were arguing and Alexander physically pushed Willis. Eichelberger said Alexander pushed Willis near to where the gun was lying on the counter, and he grabbed the weapon because he was afraid Alexander would shoot him with it. The defense said the two struggled over the gun and it went off, first shooting Willis in the stomach. As they continued to fight over the firearm, then it went off a second time, killing Alexander. No one was in the same room when Alexander and Willis were fighting, and there were no actual eye-witnesses to the incident.
The first witness to testify was Carla Brown, a former Marion County Dispatcher, who was working the night of the shooting. Brown received the 911 call from Alexander’s nine-year old daughter.
The more than nine-minute phone call was played for the jury, members of Alexander’s family became overwhelmed with emotion and had to leave the courtroom. Harrell ordered that the recording be stopped and reminded the family that, while the matter is very emotional, they must remain calm, or the family would not be able to sit in the courtroom. The judge then instructed the recording of the call to continue.
On the call, the daughter told Brown that her stepfather shot her mommy. The child alternated between being calm and sobbing for the duration of the call.
“Please help us. We are her children, and there is blood everywhere. Our mommy is dead,” the daughter was heard saying on the 911 call.
The daughter repeatedly asked for someone to come help them. In the background, other children could be heard crying.
“I’m scared,” the girl sobs. “Mommy! Momma! Momma!” she yelled out.
The girl stayed on the phone with Brown until deputies arrived at the scene. One of the children could be heard sobbing and yelling to the officers about their momma being shot in the background.
The next witness to take the stand was Marion County Sheriff’s Deputy Caleb Williams. Williams and Deputy Grant McArthur were the first two law enforcement officers to arrive on the scene. Williams went into the house, and McArthur went around to the back.
Williams said Ronald Willis met him and they spoke briefly. He then headed to the front of the house and had McArthur go behind the house. Williams asked the four children on the porch to go stand by Ronald Willis by the marked patrol car. At that point, Deputy Michael Hudson arrived, and both Hudson and Williams entered the residence.
Williams said they discovered Alexander’s body on the floor face down in a pool of blood in the threshold between the laundry room and dining room, with a small child sitting at her feet. Williams said Hudson took the child outside with his siblings, while Williams began to secure the scene and prevent anyone from going into the house. He said AAA Ambulance tendered medical care to Alexander and transported her to Marion General Hospital, before airlifting her to Forrest General Hospital.
Williams viewed various photographs of the scene in which he described what was happening in each photograph taken the night of the shooting.
McArthur testified next and said it was his job to make sure the back part of the house was secure and to watch for anyone trying to leave. He saw Willis lying on the ground in the backyard by a shed. From where Willis was located on the ground, McArthur testified he was able to watch the back of the home and check Willis’ vitals. Willis, at this point, was unresponsive. McArthur said Willis was unresponsive and he saw what appeared to be a bullet hole in Willis’ in the upper left abdomen with a little blood on it.
McArthur said a black revolver with a wooden handle was found near Willis’ feet, and a semiautomatic gun was on the shed's porch. McArthur identified Willis in court as the man who laid on the ground at the scene. Pictures of the two firearms were presented to McArthur, who confirmed they were the weapons found at the scene. He believed the wooden handle revolver was a .22, but he did not know the semiautomatic weapon's caliber.
Under cross-examination, Eichelberger asked McArthur if the revolver expels the bullet casings. McArthur said it does not. The attorney asked McArthur about the amount of blood from the perceived gunshot wound. McArthur said there was a little. When asked if there was blood on the ground, McArthur said none that he saw.
Under re-direct by the assistant district attorney, McArthur testified that the revolver had to be manually cocked to fire.
That was the end of day one of the trial. The prosecution continued its case on Tuesday.
