LAWRENCEVILLE, GA - On Friday, August 1st, the Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office announced that 29-year-old William Jerome Adams was found guilty of two counts each of murder and aggravated assault for the March 2021 shooting deaths of 39-year-old Mary Lindsay and 15-year-old Atif Muhammad Jr.
In their press release, the DA said that Adams was ordered to serve two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. "The verdict and sentence are fitting for a defendant who violently took the life of a mother and son and stole from them," District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said.
"We mourn with the victims' family and hope that the outcome of the trial gives them some closure and justice."
The investigation began on March 26, 2021, when Lindsay's oldest daughter was checking on her mother after she hadn't heard from her in several days, Law & Crime reported. She crawled through a window to find her eight-year-old brother asleep in their mother's bedroom.
She then discovered the victims dead in Lindsay's locked bedroom. After further investigation, detectives learned that Adams shot Lindsay and Atif in her bedroom two days prior. The boy had been staying alone in the home for two days, unaware of the murders, according to prosecutors.
Police found three 9mm shell casings inside the room and were able to match them to ammunition nearby. Investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Adams and within a day they learned that federal authorities in Laredo, Texas, had captured Adams at the border.
He reportedly tried to cross into Mexico with a fake name and without a passport.
Prosecutors said that Adams also stole $2,000 from his girlfriend's bank account. During the trial, Atif's twin sister testified how she discovered a 9mm Luger handgun some 10 days before the shootings and snapped a photo of it on her phone.
Her mother told her it was Adams' gun. Jurors also heard testimony about how Adams "had a controlling nature and was abusive toward Lindsay," prosecutors said. Jurors also saw a photo showing an injury to Lindsay's arm that the defendant inflicted upon her.
In their press release, the DA said that Adams was ordered to serve two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. "The verdict and sentence are fitting for a defendant who violently took the life of a mother and son and stole from them," District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said.
"We mourn with the victims' family and hope that the outcome of the trial gives them some closure and justice."
The investigation began on March 26, 2021, when Lindsay's oldest daughter was checking on her mother after she hadn't heard from her in several days, Law & Crime reported. She crawled through a window to find her eight-year-old brother asleep in their mother's bedroom.
She then discovered the victims dead in Lindsay's locked bedroom. After further investigation, detectives learned that Adams shot Lindsay and Atif in her bedroom two days prior. The boy had been staying alone in the home for two days, unaware of the murders, according to prosecutors.
Police found three 9mm shell casings inside the room and were able to match them to ammunition nearby. Investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Adams and within a day they learned that federal authorities in Laredo, Texas, had captured Adams at the border.
He reportedly tried to cross into Mexico with a fake name and without a passport.
Prosecutors said that Adams also stole $2,000 from his girlfriend's bank account. During the trial, Atif's twin sister testified how she discovered a 9mm Luger handgun some 10 days before the shootings and snapped a photo of it on her phone.
Her mother told her it was Adams' gun. Jurors also heard testimony about how Adams "had a controlling nature and was abusive toward Lindsay," prosecutors said. Jurors also saw a photo showing an injury to Lindsay's arm that the defendant inflicted upon her.
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