Attempted Murderer Sentenced to Sixty-Eight Years
Prosecutors in District Attorney General Charme P. Allen’s Career Gang Unit obtained a sixty-eight year sentence for multiple crimes committed by Joshua Martez Williams, 21. In a sentencing order filed today, Judge Bob McGee agreed with prosecutor TaKisha Fitzgerald that Williams deserved an enhanced sentence. The Court agreed with prosecutors that Williams is a dangerous offender whose behavior indicates little or no regard for human life and no hesitation about committing a crime in which the risk to human life is high. The judge also agreed that Williams deserved consecutive sentences because he was on probation at the time of the commission of the crime.
In February, a Knox County jury convicted Williams of multiple counts of Attempted First Degree Murder, Especially Aggravated Burglary, Employing a Firearm During the Commission of a Dangerous Felony, and Aggravated Assault. Following a three-day trial in March, a separate jury convicted co-defendant Brandon Deshawn Middlebrook, 26, of the same charges. Assistant District Attorney General TaKisha Fitzgerald presented both cases for the State of Tennessee. During both trials, Fitzgerald explained that in February 2014, Middlebrook, Williams, and another co-defendant developed a plan to rob a drug dealer at an apartment in Fort Sanders. Middlebrook had no hesitation leading the charge into the crowded apartment, firing a handgun as he went. Williams also opened fire when the robbery did not go according to his plan. Multiple victims were injured in the shooting. Knoxville Police Department Investigators Charlie Lee, Chas Terry, and Patty Resig were key witnesses for the State who gathered evidence, interviewed victims, and testified in both trials. When he committed these crimes, Williams was on probation for a previously planned robbery in which he was shot in the chest. Additionally, while Williams was in custody at the Knox County Detention Facility, he was found guilty of thirteen disciplinary violations.
“Clearly this individual cannot follow the law whether he is on the street or in custody. The only solution is to lock him up to protect the community from his continued criminal acts,” said Allen.”We will not tolerate violent, home-invasion crimes such as this in Knox County. Criminals who commit these types of crimes can expect our prosecutors to ask for the longest prison sentences allowable under the law.”
Middlebrook was sentenced in July to seventy-eight years in prison. Prosecutors argued for an enhanced sentence in his case because he is a professional criminal who devoted his life to criminal acts, and he is a dangerous offender who was a leader during the commission of this crime.
If you have any questions, please contact Sean McDermott at 865-215-2515 or Sean.McDermott@knoxcounty.org. For more information about the District Attorney’s Office, visit our website at dag.knoxcountytn.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.