The life of Kiera Williams, a 28-year-old mother, was cut short in a burst of gunfire on the afternoon of March 1, 2021. The African American woman was sitting in the passenger seat of a car parked outside a Family Dollar on Floyd Road in Columbus, Georgia, when a man opened fire. Also killed in the attack was her friend, 30-year-old Jasmine Trice, who was in the driver's seat. Tragically, Kiera's six-year-old daughter was in the backseat and witnessed the shooting but was physically unharmed.
Jasmine died at the scene, while Kiera was rushed to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The violence was the culmination of a terrifying period for Kiera, who had broken up with her ex-boyfriend about two weeks earlier. In the days that followed, he allegedly began stalking and harassing her, sending threatening text messages. The night before the shooting, multiple gunshots were fired into the home of Kiera's parents, where she had been staying. A friend of Jasmine’s later said Jasmine was trying to help Kiera, who feared for her and her child's safety. Just thirty minutes before she was killed, a fearful Kiera had spoken with a police investigator to report the harassment.
Investigators quickly identified Kiera’s ex-boyfriend, 25-year-old Quartez Tremon Thomas, as the suspect. Witnesses told police the shooter fled in a dark-colored SUV, which authorities later identified as a Kia Sorento that had been carjacked in Phenix City, Alabama, the day before the murders. When officers arrived at the Family Dollar, Kiera’s young daughter told them, “Trey shot my Mommy,” identifying Thomas by his nickname.
The day after the shooting, police acting on an anonymous tip arrested Thomas at the Colonial Inn in Phenix City. He had reportedly shaved his head and beard in an attempt to alter his appearance. He was extradited to Georgia and charged with two counts of murder. Prosecutors initially announced their intention to seek the death penalty.
While being held in the Muscogee County Jail awaiting trial, Thomas faced additional charges for an incident on May 16, 2021, when he attacked a jail officer and damaged a window with a fire extinguisher. In October 2023, he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault on a peace officer and other charges related to the jail incident. A judge sentenced him to 15 years in prison, with five years to serve. Under a subsequent district attorney, the death penalty in the murder case was dropped. As of October 2023, the double-murder trial against Quartez Thomas remained pending.
