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Girlfriend's statement led to arrest in Brandon woman's shooting death

 
Darryl Eugene Williams is facing first-degree murder.
Darryl Eugene Williams is facing first-degree murder.
Published Nov. 26, 2015

BRANDON — He walked to her in the darkness, a gun in his hand. With their two daughters at her side, he shot her twice. Steps away, behind the wheel of a car, a woman saw it happen.

Her account, detailed in an arrest report, was what authorities needed to charge Darryl Eugene Williams with murder in the Halloween night slaying of Tiffany James.

Williams, 49, the father of James' twin 7-year-old girls, was named a person of interest the day after the shooting. But he refused to speak to investigators, making it difficult for them to link him to the crime.

Then the girlfriend talked, according to the report.

The woman, who is not named in the report, told detectives she drove Williams to the Brandon apartment complex where James, 35, lived. They waited together until James arrived home just after 11 p.m., the report stated. The woman said she saw them argue. She heard James scream, the report stated, then gunshots.

Williams was arrested Tuesday night at his job at the Mosaic phosphate plant in Riverview. He was held without bail on a charge of first-degree murder.

News of the arrest was a relief for James' family, who has been caring for the twin girls, Diamond and Da'Niyah, since their mother died.

"It was like a burden off our hearts," said James' aunt, Vickie Pittman. "We know that it's not over, but it helps knowing he is not out on the streets. He will be spending Thanksgiving in jail, where he should be."

The shooting punctuated a long, volatile relationship between Williams and James. Over seven years, they traded accusations of abuse. Each said they feared the other. Both had twice sought protective orders in court. All were denied.

"I am afraid to meet him alone because of all of the threats he has made," James wrote in 2011, requesting supervision while exchanging the couple's daughters.

James accused Williams of disrespecting her two older sons from a prior relationship. He told one boy that if the boy died, "he would spit on his grave," she wrote in a petition.

"He threatened our life, saying he will do something to me and my boys and my family would have to prepare for a funeral," she wrote.

In August this year, Williams filed a petition of his own. He alleged that James' relatives were harassing him with phone calls, and threatening to "blow my brains out." A judge dismissed the petition citing insufficient evidence.

In recent weeks, the family suspected he was stalking James, Pittman said.

When her car had engine trouble, James took it to a mechanic. She learned that someone had poured ammonia into the gas tank, Pittman said.

James, the only child of Beulah James, shied away from talking about her problems with her mother or extended relatives. She was a person who liked to try to handle things on her own, Pittman said. But the family did what they could to help.

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She worked long hours at her student recruitment job at Ultimate Medical Academy. On late workdays, Pittman picked up the girls from school.

When James returned from work at about 7 or 8 p.m., the girls were always there to greet her.

Since her death, both girls dread nights, Pittman said. They cling to Pittman's side when stepping out of cars. They don't like to be left alone. They are haunted by what they saw.

"My niece fell on Da'Niyah," Pittman said. "She fell on her to protect her. (Da'Niyah) had blood in her ear. Both of them had blood in their hair."

Before Williams was arrested, the family had frequent visits from detectives working the case. The lead detective, Moises Garcia, told them the case struck a personal chord, the family said.

"He had a lot of empathy for our family as he also has twin boys," said James' aunt, Barbara James. "He would tear up just talking about it."

On Tuesday, the family heard detectives were meeting with the state attorney's office. That night, they learned of Williams' arrest.

His attorney, Norman Cannella, said Wednesday he couldn't comment on the case, but said he plans to ask a judge next week to set bail. In the meantime, Williams will be held in jail.

"I hope he gets life," Pittman said. "He broke up a family. Two girls lost both their parents. Two boys don't have their mother."

Times staff writer Katie Mettler contributed to this report. Contact Dan Sullivan at dsullivan@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3386. Follow @TimesDan.