People v. Williams CA3

BACKGROUND

Lashaun Blake was celebrating her 17th birthday with friends at the Double Tree Hotel. In another room, Alex Hunter was celebrating his 21st birthday with his siblings and friends. Defendant and “Goldie” Benoit had joined the party of teenage girls because they knew Blake’s boyfriend. Benoit, defendant and two of the girls made a trip to a nearby convenience store in Benoit’s car. At about the same time, Hunter, his brother and their two sisters were walking toward their cars. Benoit was “driving crazy” as he prepared to park his Ford Taurus. After yelling at the Hunter group to move, Benoit narrowly missed hitting them with the car. As defendant and Benoit got out of the car, there was an exchange of heated words. Hunter followed defendant’s group as they walked away, challenging them to fight. Defendant responded to Hunter’s unexpected tap on the shoulder by turning and shooting him at a range of less than three to four feet, killing him with a single gunshot wound to the chest. Defendant and Benoit ran away. Police arrested defendant several days later and questioned him. During the interrogation, defendant said only that he “didn’t do the shooting.” At trial, he…