GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A man will serve eight months in jail after his neighbor was shot and killed at their apartment complex three years ago.
On Sept. 25, 2021, Carlether Foley died after a stray bullet went through a wall and hit her in the head while she was lying down.
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Police charged Maxwell Williamson, Foley’s neighbor. An investigation found that Williamson had been cleaning his gun when it accidentally discharged.
The Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office announced on Monday that a jury found Williamson guilty of misdemeanor involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct.
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The jury heard testimony from investigators about a note Williamson had placed on Foley’s apartment door instead of calling the police.
Foley’s son later found his mother’s body and called 911.
“He was very hysterical,” Foley’s brother George told Channel 2 Action News in 2021. “It frightened him. He said he walked into the room but didn’t turn on the light. He called his mother’s name and she didn’t respond.”
A judge sentenced Williamson to eight months in jail, along with 16 months of probation.
“This defendant’s reckless actions left a teenaged son without his mother and the teen’s grandmother without her only daughter,” Gwinnett DA Patsy Austin-Gatson said. “It is vitally important that gun owners handle and store weapons responsibly. There must be accountability when gun owners are irresponsible and innocent victims are harmed.”
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