CROWN POINT | On the eve of a jury trial, a Gary man admitted to shooting to death a man in 2013 and wounding a woman.

Anthony T. Williams, 29, pleaded guilty Friday to murder and attempted murder, a Class A felony. As part of the agreement, Williams is expected to be sentenced to 55 years in prison.

A woman was giving Williams and Damian Reedus a ride home early Dec. 2, 2013, when they stopped at a stop sign near the intersection of 21st Avenue and Vermont Street in Gary. For unknown reasons, Williams shot Reedus in the back of the head, according to court records.

Williams admitted to also shooting Reedus in the neck, according to the agreement. Williams shot the woman in the neck as she continued driving.

According to court records, Williams allegedly told the woman, “You have to die, too. You saw my face.” He then got out of the car and pulled the woman out of the driver’s seat.

Williams pointed a gun at the woman and fired a shot, but the gun did not go off, according to the affidavit. The woman was able to run away and seek help.

Reedus, 34, of Gary, died at the scene from the two gunshot wounds, officials said.

The agreement states that days after the shooting, officers found a .380-caliber handgun in Williams’ bedroom, which would later match bullets recovered from Reedus’ body.

In November, Lake County Criminal Judge Salvador Vasquez stripped Williams of mailing and Telmate privileges at the jail after correctional officers found a letter Williams wrote asking someone to threaten a witness in the case.

Vasquez found Williams in contempt of his order last week after correctional officers found a letter he tried to mail, which used slang that could be interpreted as more threats against the witness.

Correctional officers also found Williams unsuccessfully tried to use other inmates’ information to make calls through the jail’s Telmate system.

Defense attorney Jamise Perkins asked Vasquez on Friday to reinstate her client’s privileges in the jail. She said since the order was issued last year, Williams has been confined to a jail cell for 23 hours each day.

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Michelle Jatkiewicz asked Vasquez to deny the request because Williams could still try to seek revenge against a witness.

Vasquez said Williams’ grandmother would be the only person allowed to communicate with him, and allowed Williams to buy hygiene and food from the jail’s commissary.

Williams, who was previously scheduled to stand trial next week, will be sentenced April 10. In addition to the 55 years, he will serve three months in prison because he was found in contempt of court.

 

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