Whitney Denise Petway, a 27-year-old African American woman, was tragically shot to death on June 29, 2020, in Gastonia, North Carolina. The incident occurred at the WoodSpring Suites hotel, where she was staying with her sometime boyfriend, Zkevis Jarta Williams. According to reports, the two had a volatile relationship marked by multiple instances of domestic violence. On the night of the shooting, Williams claimed that the two were arguing in their hotel room when Petway lunged for a gun. He stated that they struggled over the weapon, which discharged and fatally wounded Petway. However, prosecutors argued that the killing was part of a pattern of abuse, with Williams having previously assaulted Petway on several occasions.
Williams, who was 28 years old at the time of the incident, was charged with first-degree murder in connection with Petway's death. The case went to trial nearly three years later, with jury selection beginning in May 2023. During the trial, Assistant District Attorney Deborah Gulledge presented evidence of Williams' history of abuse towards Petway, including an incident where he pushed her down a flight of stairs and another where he admitted to blacking out during an assault. Despite Williams' defense attorneys' attempts to exclude this testimony, the judge ruled that it would be allowed.
Petway's brother, Derrick Petway, spoke about the emotional toll of waiting for the trial, describing it as an "onslaught of devastation" every day. He shared that Whitney had served four years in the U.S. Army and had been working with him to build a distribution company in Charlotte. Derrick remembered his sister as a confidante who always had his back and provided him with the best advice.
In May 2023, a jury found Williams guilty of first-degree murder. Witnesses testified that Williams had abused Petway multiple times before the fatal shooting. On the morning of June 30, 2020, Williams went to the front desk of the motel and confessed to shooting Petway. He was subsequently arrested and charged with her murder. Williams had a history of assault charges, including resisting arrest and assault on a female related to an incident involving Petway earlier in June 2020. Despite being ordered to stay away from Petway, the two ended up together again, leading to the tragic events that unfolded at the WoodSpring Suites hotel.
