Murder near Downtown Knoxville Ends in Thirty-Six-Year Sentence

DA Charme Allen announces that prosecutors in the Major Crimes Unit obtained a thirty-six-year sentence against a man who shot a victim in broad daylight on a weekday afternoon near downtown Knoxville.  Jayshawn Edward Williams, 38, was found guilty-as-charged of Second Degree Murder.  Following the sentencing hearing, Judge Scott Green ordered Williams to serve thirty-six years in the Tennessee Department of Correction without the possibility of parole.

In a two-day trial last year, Assistant District Attorneys Jeannine Guzolek and Larry Dillon explained to the jury that on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, around 3:00 PM, Knoxville Police Department Detective Jonathan Harris and other KPD officers responded to a shooting on the Broadway viaduct just north of Jackson Avenue.  Witnesses described Williams walking northbound with the victim when they heard a single gunshot and saw the victim fall to the ground.  Williams then pulled up his hood and quickly walked away from the scene.  As Williams left the area, bystanders stopped to try and render aid, but the victim ultimately died of a single gunshot wound to the head.  Before trial, the Court severed two felon in possession of a weapon counts that the jury did not hear.  Those counts were resolved today.

“This is just a senseless and unexplainable loss of life that left a family without their loved one,” said DA Allen.  “As we approach National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, we remember and honor victims like the one in this tragic case.”

Williams has five prior felony convictions for Aggravated Burglary, Failure to Appear, and marijuana resale cases.  Williams has also been identified as a member of the 52 Hoover Crips criminal street gang.  Assistant Victim Witness Coordinator Kara Sowards and Legal Secretary Connie Watts aided in the prosecution of this case.

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.