Published: Thursday, September 16, 2010, 2:59 PM Updated: Thursday, September 16, 2010, 3:11 PM
Jim O'Hara / The Post-Standard
Syracuse, NY - A Syracuse man pleaded guilty this afternoon to murdering his girlfriend by shooting her multiple times in April.
Henry M. Williams, 30, of 101 Trinity Place., Apt. 2, pleaded guilty before Onondaga County Judge William Walsh to a single felony count of second-degree murder in the April 10 death of Lashonda Graves.
Graves, 30, was found dead in a car in a garage at the Springfield Garden Apartments complex across from Le Moyne College. Police found the body after Williams called 911 from a neighbor's home on Westcott Street to report he had killed someone.
Chief Assistant District Attorney Christine Garvey said that in pleading guilty, Williams admitted shooting the victim multiple times, including a fatal shot to the head. The prosecutor declined comment on any motive for the shooting pending sentencing.
The victim's father reported back in April that his daughter had told him several days before her death that she and Williams had argued about some money he lied about and that she had thrown him out of the house.
In accepting Williams' guilty plea this afternoon, Walsh agreed to sentence him to serve 18 years to life in state prison. The maximum penalty would have been 25 years to life in prison.
Garvey said she agreed to the plea deal after defense lawyer Eric Jeschke said Williams would be willing to admit his guilt and she discussed the proposed deal with the victim's family.
Walsh then had the unscheduled case called in court this afternoon to finalize the plea and take Williams' guilty plea.
The case had been scheduled to be in court Friday morning for a hearing to address the admissibility at trial of admissions Williams made to police about the fatal shooting. The case was scheduled for trial Oct. 25.
Sentencing is now Oct. 20.
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