A Cherokee County man will spend the rest of his life in prison after a jury found him guilty of killing his wife and trying to kill her teenage son inside their home.
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Kelvin Demond Williams, 48, was convicted of all 13 charges against him, including malice murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, and multiple firearm-related offenses. A jury reached its verdict in less than an hour.
A judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 100 years and 12 months.
The case centers on the July 13, 2025, killing of 48-year-old Tenisha Williams inside the family’s home in the Woodstock area.
Investigators say home security video captured the violence as it unfolded and the chilling moments after.
After firing multiple shots, Kelvin Williams can be heard saying, “You dead [expletive] ?”
Prosecutors say the couple’s 16-year-old son was inside the home when it happened.
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Hiding in his bedroom, the teen called 911 and told a dispatcher his stepfather had shot at him, then shot his mother. He warned that the gunman may have been reloading a revolver. His 4-year-old brother was asleep in another room.
Video shown in court captured the sequence of events, Kelvin Williams firing at the teen and missing, then firing toward Tenisha Williams. As the teen ran to his room, another shot was fired in his direction.
Prosecutors say Kelvin Williams then walked toward his wife, who was cornered in the kitchen, and fired the final shot that killed her.
When deputies arrived, they found him standing in the doorway between the home and the open garage, smoking a cigarette. After repeated commands, he walked outside and was arrested, authorities said.
The two children were safely removed from the home. Their mother was found dead on the kitchen floor. The gun used in the shooting was sitting on the kitchen island.
During the trial, jurors heard from 13 witnesses and reviewed extensive evidence, including the 911 call, security video, body camera footage, and jail phone calls.
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Prosecutors also described what they called a pattern of control and isolation in the relationship, saying Kelvin Williams monitored his wife’s movements and restricted her contact with family. On the day of the shooting, they said he made her purchase and load the gun used to kill her.
In court, family members spoke about years of abuse and the lasting trauma left behind. A close family friend who has taken in the children shared her commitment to caring for them.
Before handing down the sentence, the judge called the damage caused by the defendant “unfathomable” and ordered that he have no contact with the children or their families.
District Attorney Susan Treadaway said the case has forever changed the lives of those involved, especially the children who were inside the home that night.
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