Aljhean Thomas Williams, a 14-year-old African American male, was tragically killed on January 3, 2016, in Wilmington, North Carolina. The incident occurred around 6:30 p.m. when the city's gunfire detection system, ShotSpotter, alerted police to shots fired at the intersection of Emory Street and Stewart Circle in the Turnkey neighborhood, adjacent to Creekwood. Upon arrival, officers found Williams lying in the street, unresponsive.
Despite lifesaving efforts, he was pronounced dead at the scene. Williams was a ninth-grader at Mosley Performance Learning Center in the Pathways Program, having transferred from Laney High School in November 2015. The Pathways Program is designed for middle and high school students who have been long-term suspended from their regular school, allowing them to continue their studies while in the program.
The investigation into Williams' death revealed that he was struck by two bullets: one to the left back and one to the right buttock. The bullet to his back perforated his lungs, while the bullet to his buttock traveled steeply upward and struck his heart. The Wilmington Police Department followed up on several leads, and the case remained unsolved for four years. During this time, the community mourned the loss of the young teenager, and efforts were made to address the violence affecting the area.
On January 23, 2020, Wilmington Police arrested Cedric Alden Burnett, a 23-year-old African American male, in connection with Williams' murder. Burnett had been previously convicted of a felony and was charged with felony possession of a firearm by a felon and interfering with an electronic monitoring device on the night of Williams' death. New forensic evidence emerged in 2020, linking the gun Burnett possessed on January 3, 2016, to Williams' fatal injuries. This breakthrough led to Burnett being charged with first-degree murder.
The trial for Burnett took place in New Hanover County Superior Court, where a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder after two days of deliberation. The prosecuting attorney emphasized that the murder was premeditated and malicious, with Burnett intending to kill Williams. The jury's verdict brought a sense of justice to Williams' family, who had waited six long years for the case to be resolved. Burnett was sentenced to life without parole, providing some closure to the grieving family and community.
