On the morning of November 14, 2022, a tragic sequence of events unfolded in Columbia, Missouri, resulting in the untimely death of 42-year-old female April Joann Brooks. Officers from the Columbia Police Department were dispatched to the 2700 block of Blue Ridge Road at approximately 6:45 a.m. after receiving reports of a suspicious vehicle. Upon arrival, they discovered a car that had been left running with its lights on.
Inside the vehicle, officers found Brooks deceased from an apparent gunshot wound. It was later determined that a child had also been present in the vehicle at the time of the shooting, though the child was not physically harmed during the incident.
The investigation quickly identified a suspect, 31-year-old Montez Lee Williams, who had been in a relationship with Brooks. Detectives determined that the two had been arguing inside the car prior to the shooting. Following the discovery of Brooks' body, law enforcement located Williams, who then led police on a high-speed pursuit through the area. During the chase, Williams attempted to discard evidence by throwing the silver handgun used in the crime out of his car window while driving down Clark Lane. He was eventually apprehended and taken into custody.
Williams, who was 32 years old by the time of his sentencing, faced multiple charges related to the incident, including first-degree murder, armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon, child endangerment, and resisting arrest. He was already a convicted felon at the time of the shooting and was legally prohibited from possessing a firearm. In legal proceedings that followed, the first-degree murder charge was amended as part of a plea agreement. Williams pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, unlawful possession of a firearm, and resisting arrest. He admitted to killing Brooks during the domestic dispute. In late 2023, a Boone County judge sentenced Williams to 30 years in prison. Under the terms of his sentence for second-degree murder, he must serve 85 percent of his time before becoming eligible for parole.
