Posted on 01/22/2005 11:54:11 PM PST by NativeTexun
Just off the Internet the Sunday edition of the Tyler Morning Telegraph reports that the murder suspect refuses to talk to authorities.
Residing in Tyler, I can say a little about the area this new Wal-Mart SuperCenter is located in ... at the SW corner of Loop 323 and Hwy 64East ... 30 miles or so east is Canton ... travel north on the Loop to intersect I-20. This Wal-Mart opened, I believe, about 6 months ago. A strip mall is also new to the center, a new Sonic on the NW corner with the former Wal-Mart at the NE corner of this intersection. It was an old Wal-Mart in a "not-so-good" area of town ... safe for day visits but not night ones. Just a few miles south down the Loop towards Tyler is the Hollywood Theater ... the only theater in town for a number of years. When I first moved here four years ago, having relocated to the area and living away for 22 years but visiting family often, I was advised to "avoid the movie theater at night." Not only was it problematic at night but when an old cinema near the mall was reopened about two years ago, letters to the editor of the local newspaper praised the decision and cited many incidents of auto burglaries and break-ins, stolen hubcaps .. some even during daytime at Hollywood. A new clean theatre and a "safer" part of town was much needed and appreciated. It was a long time coming for many Tyler residents. Loitering was prevalent at Hollywood Theater particularly by teens looking as if they had nothing else to do, security was non-existent, the theater was nasty .. it was just not a place to visit day or night. "North Tyler" is not a place to enter without caution at night. The new Wal-Mart is right in the center of "North Tyler." I frequent the Wal-Mart on South Broadway and am particularly grateful now for the cashier who never lets me go to my car alone at night.
We've got a Wal-Mart like this in our area too. I had my wallet stolen right under my nose there. Thank goodness that's all that happened. Too bad someone didn't escort the employee to her car. I don't know too much about the case, but it's sad end for a young girl. I guess having Wal-Mart cameras and security patrols are better than nothing, but it didn't do much to help this victim.
Packing a weapon beats cameras and security patrols every time. When did we give up the idea of protecting ourselves?
. . .Without info to the contrary; perhaps I missed it (!). . .I am assuming that this man has a police if not, prison record.
Perhaps while he sits and stares. . . and eats. . .sleeps;
. . . we could just make a few changes in the law; so we could be a tad more accomodating to this criminal and those like him. . .
So very sorry for this young girl; who never made it home.
. . .p.s. . . .and Welcome to Free Republic ;^) . . .enjoy. . .
Well you are right there and it was exactly what I was thinking but didn't post. Too bad she didnt' have a gun! But then again, I don't carry one either. You never think it's gonna happen to you. This same type of thing almost happened to a friend's sister in a Target parking lot. A guy in a van parked next to her and tried to force her in. Luckily she fought or yelled and got away. He did get one woman, a mother of seven kids, and killed her. My friend's sister had to testify in court. He, the murderer, was a married guy with kids. He killed himself in prison.
The link posted at the top of my message and I'm new to posting here so in case someone doesn't see the link (had a hard time myself finding where the forum software put it) here's the entire article from www.tylerpaper.com
MURDER SUSPECT REFUSING TO TALK
By KENNETH DEAN, Staff Writer January 22, 2005
Capital murder suspect Johnny Lee Williams Jr., of Tyler, is in Cochise County Jail in Bisbee, Ariz., refusing to talk to authorities.
Officials are investigating a crime spree that spanned three states, including two armed robberies and the abduction and shooting death of a young woman taken from a Tyler Wal-Mart earlier this week.
Don Martin, Tyler Police Department public information officer, said on Saturday that the 24-year-old Williams has asked for an attorney and is refusing to speak with law enforcement about the crimes, including the abduction of 19-year-old Megan Leann Holden as she finished her shift shortly before midnight Wednesday.
"We sent detectives to Stanton, where Ms. Holden's body was discovered, but we decided not to go to Arizona because he (Williams) is not talking with investigators," he said.
Martin said an autopsy on Ms. Holden's body was being performed Saturday morning in Lubbock, but he did not know when his department would have the preliminary results.
"She was shot and we released this information earlier this morning that she was also beaten," he said.
Martin would not say whether the woman had been tied and gagged, and he did not know if she fought back at any time during the kidnapping.
"We don't know if she was sexually assaulted at this time and that will be part of the autopsy results," he said. "It's just such a tragic thing to happen and our (the department's) prayers are with the family."
ABDUCTED
The woman's mother contacted police early Thursday morning to report her daughter missing when she did not return to her Chandler home after working her scheduled shift at the Wal-Mart Supercenter at Texas Highway 64 West and Loop 323.
Tyler Police Chief Swindle said Friday it was hours later when officials at Wal-Mart called to report a possible abduction caught on tape.
"We knew initially that this was not the normal missing person, because Megan was very responsible and this was out of character for her," he said. "The tape showed that she didn't leave of her own will."
When police reviewed the videotape, they immediately began looking for the woman and sent out descriptions of the suspect and the victim's red 2002 Ford F-150 truck.
The young woman's body was found early Friday morning in a ditch off Interstate 20 in Martin County.
In Odessa, Williams allegedly robbed a convenience store at gunpoint then made his way west.
Williams was taken into custody earlier Friday morning after he allegedly attempted to rob a former New York City firefighter in Bowie, Ariz., and was shot during the confrontation. He is being held on $1 million bond.
The man who shot Williams told The Associated Press how the attempted robbery took place.
"He said, 'This is robbery, I want all the money in the cash register,'" Richie Chapman said. "And as he said that, he drew a weapon from underneath his shirt, and I drew and fired."
Swindle told reporters Friday the shooting was justified.
"If there is any justice in all of these events, then the shooting would be it," he said.
Swindle said the man then showed up in Ms. Holden's pickup at an Arizona hospital.
"He sought medical attention at a local hospital and officers there took him into custody after running the license plates and discovering the truck was the vehicle in question in the abduction here in Tyler," Swindle said.
WILLIAMS CHARGED
Smith County District Attorney Matt Bingham said Williams has been officially charged with aggravated kidnapping stemming from the Tyler abduction and could soon face capital murder charges.
He could also face federal charges on interstate transport of stolen goods, kidnapping or carjacking.
Martin said if Arizona authorities allow the Texas charges to dominate in the case and Williams waives his extradition rights, Williams could be back in Tyler as early as late this week.
"It all depends on him and what he does," Martin said. "If he waives his rights, then we could have him back here late this week, but if he doesn't, then we will have to go through all the extradition procedures, and that could take two or three weeks."
Martin said Texas statutes allow the county where the abduction took place to file the capital murder charges because the initial crime that led to the murder began there instead of where a murder actually occurred.
"We don't know what the other counties will do in regards to the other charges, but we believe he will come back to Smith County to face the charges here," he said.
Bingham said he had talked with the district attorney's office in Martin County and asked the office to allow Smith County to pursue capital murder charges here.
"He (the Martin County DA) agreed he would allow me to pursue the charges, because I was making the request and because the crime originated in Smith County," he said.
Bingham said another contributing factor to the decision to charge Williams in Smith County was the fact the witnesses, investigators and Ms. Holden's family were largely in Smith County.
"I talked to family last night and told them how sorry I was for this whole thing and I assured them that Williams would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. At this time, I do feel the facts and evidence will support a charge of capital murder," he said.
Bingham said this was the beginning stage of the investigation and he wanted a thorough look at the case to make sure all the facts were nailed down.
He thanked all the investigators from all the agencies in Texas and Arizona for their help and cooperation in the case.
"They all put in a lot of hours and did an excellent job in this case," he said.
He did not know when Williams would be back in Tyler, but stated matter-of-factly that he would be.
"I can tell you this - he is coming back to Smith County," he said.
Family Statement
"We would like to thank all the people in America, our community, our friends and family for all the love and support and prayers at this difficult time. We will tell you more about our Megan at a later time. Please continue to pray for us throughout this time and beyond. We have a long road ahead. Please give us our time to mourn. A fund is in the process of being set up. More information will be available at a later date. And last but not least, let us thank all of the law enforcement team throughout the nation from the Megan Holden family. May God bless you all."
Kenneth Dean covers police, fire, and public safety organizations, and Cherokee and Rusk counties. He can be reached at 903.596.6353. e-mail: news@tylerpaper.com
Proving that there is some justice in life.
I do carry a weapon. I hope I never have to use it as I respect life. But it is there if I need it.
I sure would like to know if this murderer was up around Amarillo in late december......we had a young lady killed in a such a manner here then....
According to the article below, Williams, Holden's murderer, was determined to "get someone" that night .. she being apparently his third and unfortunately, successful victim.
Sadly, his father is a minister and Williams reportedly lived in a trailer home next to his parents and the church. His mother was on local news last night and said that two families have been destroyed. Family and friends say that Williams has not been "the same" since he returned from Iraq and that he did not talk much of his experience there but said he had "seen a lot."
Seems, from below article, that he may be implacted in other crimes as well.
from www.tylerpaper.com
STRANGER ABDUCTIONS A RARITY
IN EAST TEXAS AUTHORITIES SAY
By JACQUE HILBURN, Staff Writer January 22, 2005
Stranger abductions are so rare in East Texas that it's been almost 20 years since one was reported in the region, an FBI official said Friday.
"There have been very few in East Texas, very few," said Jeff Millslagle, FBI supervisor and senior resident agent for the Tyler District. "It happens day in and day out, but it usually doesn't happen in East Texas."
Time is one of the most critical elements in these cases, authorities said, because the passage of time drastically increases the likelihood of death.
Stranger cases are also difficult because authorities must first familiarize themselves with the victim's habits and lifestyle, and eliminate possible suspects.
Then comes the process of tracking down the unknown.
From the moment Tyler police were notified early Thursday that Megan Leann Holden, 19, had failed to return home from work, it seemed time was against them.
She was last seen around 11:45 p.m. Wednesday, leaving the Wal-Mart Supercenter at Texas Highway 64 West and Loop 323.
About four hours passed before anyone realized the victim had actually been abducted - allegedly by ex-Marine Johnny Lee Williams Jr., 24, of Tyler - and later found shot to death, authorities said.
Her body was discovered early Friday, shortly after an Arizona police officer spotted Williams at a hospital seeking treatment for his own gunshot wound.
"That was the big break in the case," Millslagle said. "Now we're backtracking."
SHOPPERS STALKED
Tyler Police Chief Gary Swindle described the chaotic twist of events as both tragic and strange because of the rarity of the offense and the fact that a videotape captured the suspect's very public method of operation.
The suspect spent hours at the store, allegedly sizing up potential victims, authorities said.
"He was determined to grab someone that night," Swindle said. "He stood out there waiting for 2½ hours, waiting. Bless her heart, he sees her ... there was no one else around.
"There is no doubt this was a total stranger abduction," Swindle said. "We do think he potentially did make other attempts before he got Megan."
Ms. Holden was apparently his third attempt, the chief said, citing Wal-Mart surveillance footage that shows him following two other women into the darkened parking lot before changing his mind.
Grainy footage shot inside and outside the store shows a duffel-bag-toting Williams lurking near a restroom and an exterior concrete pillar, peering at passers-by.
At one point, he strolls past several cars, glancing off-screen before turning and returning to the store. He is questioned briefly by a security guard, but is allowed to remain at the store, the video shows.
In the final segments, the victim is observed walking to her Ford F-150 truck as a figure in the distance breaks into a run. Upon reaching the young woman, the figure shoves her and she crumples to the pavement.
The suspect loads her into the vehicle and, moments later, roars out of the parking lot.
Swindle said that was the first, last and only glimpse of the suspect, who remained unknown until early Friday, when he showed up at an Arizona hospital.
"We had a composite (from witness accounts) of him, but we did not have his name," Swindle said.
Authorities said they are confident Williams is the man on the video, citing an abundance of evidence - including the duffel bag - located within the vehicle.
But Swindle did acknowledge that Williams, whose record shows previous arrests for drug use and theft, was a key suspect in at least two robberies and potentially other types of violent crimes.
"We think there were other victims," he said Friday. "Right now we are digging into his life as it was since his release from the military. We're wanting to know why this happened - obviously, there was a crime spree. We're running a search warrant at his home right now."
Authorities do not believe Williams is the same man who crawled through the living room of a home on Bain Place two weeks ago and grabbed an elderly woman as she sat watching a late-night movie.
There are few developments in that incident, which ended without injury after the suspect dragged the woman outside and she began screaming for help.
In another supposed abduction case reported last week, Dallas police called off their search Friday for a missing Southern Methodist University student last seen in the college parking lot eight days ago.
Alexander Weckiewicz, 19, was found unharmed in a Dallas library. He had been living in the public facility and a homeless shelter since his disappearance, authorities said.
1986 ABDUCTION DEATH
Federal authorities, who have been investigating Thursday's kidnapping in conjunction with Tyler police and more than half a dozen agencies, said the last known East Texas stranger abduction case also ended with arrest.
"The last case happened in 1986," Millslagle said.
The suspect in that case, Jerry Walter "Animal" McFadden, was executed in 1999 for the strangulation-beating death of Suzanne Denise Harrison, 18.
Miss Harrison, a Hawkins High School senior, and two friends were last seen May 4, 1986, at Lake Hawkins in Wood County. The body of Miss Harrison, who had been sexually assaulted, was found the next day at a mountaintop roadside park near Gilmer in Upshur County.
Five days after Miss Harrison was found, the bodies of her friends, Bryan Boone, 19, and Gena Lee Turner, 20, were discovered in a ditch beside Farm-to-Market Road 1649 near Ore City.
The pair, both from Hawkins, had been shot, records show.
McFadden was never charged in Boone's and Miss Turner's deaths.
His case drew national media attention when his July 9, 1986, escape and abduction of a female jailer from the Upshur County Jail in Gilmer triggered one of the largest manhunts in Texas history.
The search involved an estimated 1,000 officers from more than 30 different law enforcement agencies.
The jailer escaped unharmed the day after the jailbreak from a railroad boxcar where McFadden had held her in Big Sandy. The next day, McFadden was peacefully recaptured at a vacant house nearby.
The case of McFadden, who had several convictions for sex-related offenses and had been paroled from prison prior to the 1986 slayings, triggered a grass-roots citizens' movement aimed at toughening punishment of criminals.
Jacque Hilburn covers Tyler city government, planning and zoning and the Parks Board. She can be reached at 903.596.6282. e-mail: news@tylerpaper.com
Thanks! A sad turn of events for me to end up here, tho.
It doesn't matter if he cuts his own tongue out, he's going to fry for it.
Thx for the story. One problem I have is that cameras in a parking lot do no good if they are not monitored. We are reading a post-mortem analysis of what happened. That poor victim may still be alive had Walmart security notified the police at the time of the abduction.
Morning squantos...
This murder is only a few days old. Less than a week.
Carolyn
If we could put some panties on his head we might be able to get him to talk...
I was born and raised in East Texas. There are some really strange folks there.
Thank God the man in Arizona was armed and was able to shoot this guy. Otherwise he may still have been on the loose.
As for the killer, get the needles ready. Or let the father into the room with him.
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