Andrew Williams pleads guilty to manslaughter
From the office of District Attorney Dewey Hudson:
On March 2, 2009, Andrew Williams, age 34, pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter in Duplin County Superior Court for the death of Michael Shane Ray, age 34, that occurred on June 20, 2008. The defendant also pled guilty to malicious conduct by a prisoner that occurred on November 23, 2008 and involved spitting on jailer James Whitfield of the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office. The defendant was sentenced to a minimum of 103 months and a maximum of 133 months in the North Carolina Department of Correction by the Honorable Russell J. Lanier, Jr. The State was represented by Chief Assistant District Attorney Ernie Lee and Assistant District Attorney Bob Roupe. The defendant was represented by Kevin Heckart of
The evidence for the State showed that on June 20, 2008, the Warsaw Police Department and NC State Bureau of Investigation responded to a homicide that occurred at the Warsaw Inn at
On June 24, 2008, the defendant was interviewed by SA Scott Kennedy of the SBI and Captain Jerry Wood of the Warsaw Police Department. The defendant said that the victim kept going to his room at the Warsaw Inn where defendant and Jennifer Marie Hill were staying. The victim bought a crack pipe from them. The victim kept returning to the defendant’s room and he told him to not return. At approximately 1:30 a.m. on June 20, 2008, the victim threatened the defendant and the victim swung at the defendant. The defendant grabbed an opened knife that was on top of the dresser. The knife had been used to cut Brillo pads to stick inside the stems to smoke crack. Defendant admitted to swinging the knife at the victim, the victim grabbed him, and victim started stabbing at the victim to get him away. Defendant said he struck the victim in the mouth with his fist. The agent noticed a tooth mark on his right index finger. The fight landed up outside the motel room. Defendant dropped the knife and ran off. He found out the victim was dead later that day after his mother told him. He said the knife had a 3 inch blade.
Willie Satchell was interviewed and said that about a week after the victim was killed the defendant told him he killed the victim in self-defense.
An autopsy performed by Dr. John Almeida of
The defendant has been convicted of assault on a female in
In
By this plea, the defendant will serve a minimum of 8 ½ years and a maximum of 11 years in the North Carolina Department of Correction.


