VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A man shot and killed his ex-wife and her son in a Volusia County home on Sunday evening over an argument about the electricity, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
Chief Deputy Brian Henderson with the sheriff’s office said during a news conference that Michael Williams, 47, was arrested in the fatal shootings at a home on East Parkway, south of International Speedway Boulevard, near DeLand. Henderson said two children, ages 5 and 6, were in the house at the time and are uninjured.
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Henderson said Williams and his ex-wife were married for about 10 years before getting divorced in June. As part of the divorce agreement, Henderson said Williams was allowed to stay in the house.
Williams called law enforcement to report he shot two people and claimed he was “violently attacked,” Henderson said.
“And this stemmed from an argument that occurred over the past couple of days about electricity in the house. Michael was upset that he felt that they were leaving the lights on in the house and he went and put a lock on the box outside of the house,” he said.
Michael Williams, accused of murdering ex-wife & her son yesterday in a fight over their house’s electricity, has 1st Appearance in Volusia jail. Charged with 2 counts of 1st Degree Premeditated murder & being held on no bond. @news6wkmg pic.twitter.com/OYGjeU7oyY
— Molly Reed (@Mollyreednews) September 19, 2022
Henderson said the victims cut the lock on the box, causing Williams to become upset.
Hours before the shooting, Henderson said Williams’s ex-wife called law enforcement to ask about legal advice. The sheriff’s office released the 911 call where the victim said she wanted to “get on the record.”
“My ex-husband, who still lives in the home, I came home and he basically locked me completely out of my home. He then basically, roundabout said that if he cannot get back in he’s going to do something to the home while we’re in here,” she said. “What I don’t want, I just want it on record, that he didn’t do anything, other than lock us out of the house, but it was an implied threat.”
Henderson said the sheriff’s office has been called to the home about five times this year for arguments or fights that resulted in no arrests.
“Obviously, it’s very toxic as we’ve been out there multiple times over minor issues. And then the rest is history. You know, this is senseless. This is absolutely senseless. This was an argument over electricity, which he became enraged and committed to this kind of violence,” Henderson said.
Henderson said Williams has a previous history of domestic violence. He faces charges of premeditated first-degree murder.
The chief deputy said there have been 700 domestic violence arrests in the county, so far this year.
Victims of domestic violence can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline, available 24 hours a day, at 800-799-7233. In Central Florida, the Harbor House offers a 24-hour confidential crisis hotline at 407-886-2856.
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