GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A Gwinnett County man will spend the rest of his life in prison after officials say he was convicted of murdering a woman and her young son on Easter Sunday six years ago.
Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said on Dec. 1, Brandon Craig Williams was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole for the death of 30-year-old Natalie Nation and her 2-year-old son, Cole Nation.
On Easter Sunday, 2017, Williams’ father and a friend were outside the home where he, Williams, Nation and her son lived.
Channel 2 Action News previously reported that Natalie Nation was Williams’ father’s girlfriend.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
According to court documents, Williams walked out of the home, mumbled that he needed to burn the house down and walked to a nearby gas station. After hearing this, his father went into the home and found Nation and her son dead in a bedroom.
Officials determined the cause of death for both victims was blunt force trauma and strangulation. Williams’ DNA was found along with the woman’s DNA on the towel that was used to kill her, officials said.
After finding the bodies, Williams’ father called 911 and police quickly found Williams at the gas station. Surveillance video showed Williams approaching strangers and trying to get a ride out of town.
Multiple neighbors told police they heard Williams yelling at the woman in the days and weeks before the murder, asking her why she was still there and telling her he wanted her out of his house.
On the day of the murder, neighbors told police they heard Williams scream he was going to kill everyone and go to California.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Woman arrested for pouring gasoline, trying to burn down Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth home
- Couple orders meal worth $120 at north Ga. restaurant, skips out on bill, police say
- Georgia has the unhappiest employees in the nation, according to new survey
According to court documents, Williams had strangled the victim before but had resuscitated her.
Police records obtained by Channel 2 Action News show officers took Williams into custody several days before the murders when neighbors complained he was lurking around their vehicles and licking windows.
Williams was involuntarily committed for treatment, but doctors allowed him to leave the facility and go back to his home. Friends wondered why authorities didn’t keep Williams locked up when authorities observed his erratic behavior.
“He should have been locked up, or he should have had some sort of help,” friend Brent Lenz said.
Aaron Ackerman, Williams’ former cellmate, is also confused.
“He never talked about hurting anyone, but he did say he had voices in his head, so that confused me. I mean what were they telling him to do?” Ackerman asked Channel 2 Action News.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Channel 2 Action News obtained video that shows Williams acting wildly moments before police believe he killed Nation and her son.
A person inside the home recorded the video showing Williams wearing a Halloween mask and sitting directly in front of a TV, appearing to move imaginary objects around while talking.
“I already got them. I already sacrificed them,” Williams said in the video. “Send all the rest of them to me now from that location.”
Williams was found guilty on two counts of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault and cruelty to children in the first degree.
IN OTHER NEWS:
©2023 Cox Media Group
