Tuesday, June 16, 2020 5:00 PM UPDATE: PRINCETON, WV (WVNS) — Terrance Williams appeared in court on Tuesday, June 16, 2020 for a plea hearing.
His lawyer, Ward Morgan, said Williams was evaluated on three separate occasions to determine whether he was mentally competent at the time of the crime. Morgan said those evaluations determined he was not competent.
Instead of entering a plea, Morgan said the judge set a date for a trial.
“We were prepared to enter a plea today of not guilty under reason of mental illness. But the judge said we can’t really do that,” Morgan said.
Morgan said the judge had concerns regarding a statute that states the plea they wanted to enter could not happen until after going to trial. Williams’ trial is set for August 4, 2020.
UPDATED STORY: March 4, 2019 8:30 AM
A man wanted in connection to a shooting that happened in Bluefield in January has been formally charged for the crime.
Bluefield Police tell 59 News Terrance Williams was arraigned before a judge Friday, March 1, 2019. Williams, who was also injured in the shooting, was taken to Roanoke Memorial Hospital. Weeks later, he extradited back to West Virginia.
Terrance is charged with attempt to commit a crime, malicious wounding and wanton endangerment.
ORIGINAL STORY: Jan 3, 2019 07:31 PM
Just two days into the New Year, Bluefield Police officers had a gruesome call to respond to at the 500-block of Albemarle Street. Detective Kenneth Adams said a male went into a home and presented a firearm.
The suspect, identified as 31-year-old Terrance Williams of Bluefield, attempted to shoot one individual inside the home.
“He had a graze mark on his neck from the bullet,” Adams said.
Williams then reportedly chased the individuals out of the home, still attempting to shoot them. However, one person decided enough was enough.
“One of the individuals that he was trying to shoot had a gun on his person,” Adams said. “He fired a couple rounds back in his self-defense and ended up striking that individual.”
A bystander came to the rescue, but also ended up getting injured.
“A good Samaritan had went there to try to check on this individual that had been shot, which was actually the shooter that started all this,” Adams said. “He ended up getting shot also.”
While an exact motive is yet to be found, Bluefield Detective, Kenneth Adams, said Williams is mentally ill from the language he used during the shooting.
“He was saying religious slurs, saying he was Jesus when he walked in the house,” Adams said. “We deal with him numerous times in the past with mental issues that he’s had, so it sounds like that’s exactly what he had this time too.”
Unfortunately, investigators are not surprised for a crime like this to happen right after the New Year.
“Last year… we had a murder on January 3rd,” Adams said. “Several years ago, we had a car accident right after New Year’s morning. Individuals hit head-on… and had the fatality there, so it’s not uncommon for us to work these things this time of year.”
Williams was flown to Roanoke Memorial Hospital, where he will be evaluated once he fully recovers. He will face numerous charges, including attempted murder, malicious wounding, and wanton endangerment.
The victims’ conditions are unknown at this time.
Stick with 59 News on this developing story.
