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Trial opens for man accused of killing UT student

 
David Earl Williams Jr. is charged with first-degree murder.  
David Earl Williams Jr. is charged with first-degree murder. 
Published April 7, 2015

TAMPA — Kevin McCall seemed reluctant to speak too freely after he spent most of Monday sitting in a courtroom just a few yards from the man accused of killing his son.

"The defendant gets his due in court," McCall said. "That's what the system does. I just want to let the system do its work. No opinions, no nothing. … I don't put myself in an emotional state with it at all."

The first-degree murder trial of David Earl Williams Jr., accused of killing University of Tampa senior Ryan McCall in 2009, opened with jury selection in Hillsborough County circuit court on Monday. Lawyers may finish selecting a jury today with opening statements in the case coming in the afternoon.

Williams faces life in prison without the possibility of parole in the shooting death of McCall, 21, a UT track athlete and aspiring coach.

On Aug. 19, 2009, Ryan McCall was walking home from celebrating a friend's 21st birthday at the Retreat Lounge a block from the UT campus with friend Michael Harahan when a stranger jumped out of the bushes near the N Boulevard bridge and demanded money.

Harahan had been calling someone on his cellphone when the robbery occurred, and the voicemail left by his phone captured the killer's voice.

"Get over here," he said. "Get the f- - - over here."

Police said McCall, 21, wasn't carrying much money. Exactly how much is unclear. The gunman took what McCall had. Harahan heard the gunshot that killed McCall as he ran for help.

Williams was a suspect early but was not arrested until 2012.

Williams, 25, said little during jury selection, seldom even speaking to his own attorneys. He was dressed in a light jacket and tie with his head shaven clean. During breaks in jury selection, sheriff's deputies took his belt and tie as Williams was sent back to a holding cell.

In pretrial proceedings, some psychological experts said that Williams was mentally disabled and possibly a paranoid schizophrenic. In 2013, his IQ was measured at 59. Those with IQs below 70 are generally considered to be mentally disabled.

During an interview with one psychologist at the jail, Williams complained of hearing voices telling him to cut himself and said he saw "demons and devils."

But a psychologist said Williams had low intelligence but was not psychotic to the point where he could not stand trial. Later, a judge ruled Williams could be tried.

McCall's death shocked the UT community and caused concern about safety at and near the campus.

Police said Williams went on a crime rampage after the killing. Eleven days after McCall's death, Williams knocked two men to the ground in Tampa, taking their wallets and a cellphone, police said.

Two days after that, police said, he burglarized two West Tampa homes, stealing five guns.

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A day later, police arrested Williams, who they said admitted to the robbery and burglaries. He was later sentenced to 15 years in prison on those charges.

Police filed a warrant to arrest Williams for murder on May 30, 2012.

Williams' rap sheet includes 30 arrests starting at age 11, when he was accused of beating up and robbing a fellow student.

He finished serving a nine-month jail sentence for preventing a firefighter from putting out a blaze on July 23, 2009. Williams had been free just 27 days when McCall was killed.

Kevin McCall has attended every court hearing in Williams' case. He and his wife, Joanne, sat in court Monday. The couple live in Holiday.

Their son was an exercise science major who coached 40 students at Tampa Prep and was known as a well-liked, hardworking athlete.

What is especially important to the family is keeping Ryan's name alive. As part of that effort, they help promote Ryan's Run, an annual event in Ybor City on April 18. Fundraising goes toward high school scholarships and a police memorial fund.

"It gives us focus in life right now," McCall said.

Contact William R. Levesque at levesque@tampabay.com.