Michigan man pleads no contest in 2019 fatal shooting of Detroit police sergeant during domestic dispute
(CBS DETROIT) - A Michigan man facing charges in the fatal shooting of his girlfriend, who was a Detroit police sergeant, has taken a plea deal, officials said.
Eddie Ray-Jr. Johnson, who was 34 at the time of the incident, was initially charged with first-degree murder and felony firearm in connection to the death of his girlfriend, 34-year-old Elaine Williams, according to a release from the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.
The couple had lived together, and at 11:45 p.m. on June 2, 2019, officers responded to their home in the 200 block of Belton St. after receiving reports of a shooting.
Johnson was outside of the home with a gunshot wound to the abdomen when they arrived.
They found Williams inside the home with multiple gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officials say neighbors heard the couple arguing after they had all gotten home from a local bar. Neighbors then reported hearing gunshot wounds and seeing Johnson exit the house with the gunshot wound.
"Postmortem toxicology reports show that Sgt. William's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was 0.240 grams per 100 milliliters of blood at the time of her death," the release said. "Medical records for Johnson show that his (BAC) was 0.189 grams per 100 milliliters of blood after admission to the hospital."
Eight .40 caliber shell casings fired from a Smith and Wesson pistol were found near Williams' body. Williams was issued the gun while she was a Detroit police sergeant.
During the investigation, Johnson said he had shot Williams during an altercation after she shot at him once.
"I take all domestic violence cases very seriously. I also take my role as Prosecutor very seriously. The evidence was carefully considered by three veteran assistant prosecutors and myself. In this case, where both parties were shot with the same gun, the order of events is open to multiple interpretations. Considering our burden of proof, we believe this is an appropriate resolution. The decision to offer this plea to this defendant was not what we wanted to do, but it was the just thing to do," said Prosecutor Worthy.
Johnson was offered a plea reduction on Friday, May 10. He entered a no contest plea to manslaughter, with a sentence agreement of three years probation. If the court finds any violation, he will face a "guideline sentence of 57 months minimum to 95 months maximum to 15 years in prison."
In addition, the felony firearm charge was dismissed.
Johnson will be sentenced on Friday, June 14.
