GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A Buford man was found guilty of murdering his live-in girlfriend and her teenage son in March 2021, and was sentenced to two consecutive life terms without parole.
William Jerome Adams, 29, was convicted of two counts of felony murder and two counts of aggravated assault for the shooting deaths of Mary Lindsay, 39, and her 15-year-old son, Atif Muhammad, Jr.
The murders happened in their home, where Adams left Lindsay’s 8-year-old son alone for two days.
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“The verdict and sentence are fitting for a defendant who violently took the life of a mother and son and stole from them,” Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said.
On March 26, 2021, Lindsay’s oldest daughter was called to the house by her mother’s friend to check on Lindsay, who had not been heard from for several days.
The 19-year-old daughter and her 15-year-old sister, who was Muhammad’s twin, did not live with their mother.
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Lindsay’s 19-year-old daughter had to crawl through a window to get into the house, according to the DA’s office. She was the one who found her 8-year-old brother asleep in their mother’s bedroom.
Eventually found her mother and brother dead inside a locked bedroom in the home and called the police.
Investigators found three 9mm shell casings inside the room where Lindsay and Muhammad were discovered and were able to match the shell casing to ammunition found in the master bedroom.
Police got a warrant for Adams’ arrest and within a day, police in Laredo, Texas, called to report that Adams had attempted to cross the border into Mexico under an assumed name and without a passport and was arrested.
Investigators also determined that Adams took $2,000 from Lindsay’s bank account.
During trial, Muhammad’s twin sister testified that 10 days before the shooting, the siblings found a 9mm Luger handgun in their mother’s room and took a picture of it.
The daughter testified that when they questioned Lindsay about the weapon, the mother confirmed that it belonged to Adams.
The jury also heard testimony that Adams had a controlling nature and was abusive to Lindsay.
Prosecutors presented a photo that Lindsay emailed to herself documenting an arm injury that Adams gave her.
Adams was sentenced to serve two consecutive life sentences with no chance for parole, according to the DA’s office.
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