In the winter of 1979, the life of Gene W. Williamson, a 23-year-old Black / African American male, was tragically cut short in Des Moines, Iowa. On the evening of February 9th, Williamson was discovered in his car, having been fatally shot in the head. He was in the driveway of an apartment building located at 1311 21st Street at the time of the incident, apparently shot as he was pulling into the parking lot.
The investigation into his murder initially seemed to gain traction as
authorities made two arrests. A 35-year-old man, Jesus Garcia, and his 13-year-old nephew, Alfredo Garcia, were taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder. However, the case against them crumbled when it was determined that the information provided by witnesses was false. Consequently, both Jesus and Alfredo Garcia were released, and all charges against them were dropped, leaving the investigation back at its starting point.
Prior to his own untimely death, Williamson had been questioned by police in connection with the murder of an attorney named Harry Hoffman. He was never charged in that case. Despite this lead and the initial arrests, investigators were unable to identify any other suspects in Williamson's murder. Over time, the case grew cold and remains unsolved to this day, with no one having been held accountable for the death of Gene Williamson.
