A 29-year-old Texas man has been charged with murder in the death of his boyfriend after turning himself in to the police.
According to KPRC Click2Houston, Mario Jerrell Williams is accused of shooting 28-year-old Devon Wade, a promising grad student who wanted to make a difference in his community, at a home in Atascocita, Texas.
Prosecutors say that Williams and Wade got into an argument Sunday, and a witness reported seeing Williams leave the bedroom, seemingly upset. The witness told investigators that Williams wanted to talk to Wade, but Wade had asked him several times to leave, which he finally did, according to the report.
The witness said that Williams then again returned to the home and was once again asked to leave, with Wade escorting him from a bedroom to the first floor of the home. The witness then heard two gunshots and ran out, only to see Wade’s twin brother, Stephen, asking someone to call 911, KPRC reports.
Stephen Wade told officers that he was awakened by the sound of gunfire and ran downstairs, but didn’t see anyone except his brother on the floor bleeding. However, other witnesses gave similar stories about Williams, with one saying they saw him with his arm extended before hearing gunshots, according to the report.
Williams turned himself in to police Monday, admitting that he “shot someone,” authorities said.
Williams told police that he had gone to Wade’s home to pick up some items, including a handgun that was in Wade’s room, but that when he tried to leave, Wade wouldn’t let him.
Williams said that Wade punched him and chased him downstairs but he was able to make it to the door. That was when Wade apparently lunged at him and Williams said he fired his weapon, prosecutors say.
Wade had already overcome much in his life, according to the station. Both of his parents were incarcerated, but thanks to his grandparents’ support and a school club for children with imprisoned parents called No More Victims, Wade was able to aim at his full potential, according to the report.
He ultimately graduated with honors from Louisiana State University before becoming a Harry Truman scholar. He was working toward his doctorate at Columbia University in New York City.
Wade, who was studying sociology, was in Houston finishing up his dissertation, which examined the effects of poverty and incarceration on communities of color.
Williams is currently being held at Harris County Jail on $100,00 bond.
Read more at KPRC Click2Houston.