In March of 2017, a 36-year-old man named Robert Williams, who was originally from Ironton, Ohio, was in Mobile, Alabama, for a temporary work assignment. His stay in the city would tragically be cut short inside a room at the Extend A Suites motel.
On a Sunday, following what was reported as an argument on the second floor of the motel, gunshots rang out. When police arrived, they discovered the body of Robert Williams. The investigation quickly pointed to 24-year-old Coaty Bankston.
The day after the shooting, she was taken into custody and charged with his murder.
Authorities believe that Williams and Bankston had only recently met prior to the fatal encounter. According to the Mobile County District Attorney, evidence suggested that after shooting Williams, Bankston went through his pockets. It was also stated that a significant amount of time passed before she reported the incident to the police.
Bankston, however, claimed that she shot Williams in self-defense, alleging that he had attempted to rape her. Despite her plea of not guilty during her bond hearing, the judge set her bond at $100,000, considering her a flight risk. Records indicated that Bankston had prior convictions for theft of property and criminal trespass. Interestingly, it was reported that after the shooting, Bankston spent the day at the beach with her family, not mentioning the incident until she was dropped off back at the motel later that evening. Some hotel guests reported hearing gunshots as early as 3 a.m. but did not alert the police at the time.
