In the cold of a January evening in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, 31-year-old Anthone Williams, a man known to his loved ones as 'Awill,' was found dead, slumped over the wheel of his car. It was January 15, 2020, and he had been shot multiple times in what authorities would later describe as a robbery gone wrong. The shooting occurred in a desolate, unoccupied housing complex, a quiet place that became the final scene of a young father's life.
The investigation into Anthone Williams' death led police to Letresse Tareke Williams, a man with whom he was not related. Witnesses reported seeing two men approach and get into Anthone's vehicle before shots were fired. Investigators found a cellphone in the car that did not belong to the victim. This phone, along with DNA evidence found on the device and a handgun discovered in a nearby wooded area, would prove to be a crucial link to Letresse Williams. Prosecutors contended that Letresse Williams and another, unidentified man, had planned to rob Anthone, believing he was carrying a significant amount of cash and drugs.
Letresse Williams was arrested and charged with homicide, robbery, and a firearms violation. His legal proceedings were lengthy, involving three separate trials. The first trial in June 2024 resulted in an acquittal on the charge of first-degree murder, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict on the other charges. A second trial in August of that year also ended with a hung jury. Finally, in December 2025, after a three-day trial, a jury found Letresse Williams, then 35, guilty of second-degree and third-degree murder, robbery, and possession of a firearm prohibited.
Throughout the investigation and trials, it was revealed that the same gun used to kill Anthone Williams was also linked to a previous shooting in New Kensington in December 2019, for which Letresse Williams was also a suspect. In February 2026, Letresse Williams was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of Anthone Williams. At his sentencing, Anthone's mother, Phyllis, made a plea for him to name his accomplice, who was never charged. Anthone Williams was remembered by his family as a loving father to his five children, a son, brother, and uncle whose smile and generosity brightened any room.
