It wasn't Tonya.... it was another girlfriend. I believe Tonya was the woman crying in the courtroom.
ROCKY MOUNT, VA A Danville man convicted of voluntary manslaughter in a fatal Franklin County shooting has been sentenced to seven years in prison.
Jeffrey Wayne Williams Jr., 22, entered an Alford plea Thursday in Franklin County Circuit Court. Judge Stacey Moreau found him guilty of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced Williams to serve 10 years in prison, with three years suspended.
An Alford plea means the defendant does not admit guilt, but acknowledges the prosecution has enough evidence for a conviction.
Williams was previously charged with second-degree murder, but the charge was amended as part of a plea agreement. Two additional charges ? use of a firearm after being convicted of a felony and possession of a firearm as a violent felon ? were dropped.
Commonwealth?s Attorney A.J. Dudley said the case centered on the death of Billy Joseph Doss, 33, who was shot at a home outside Rocky Mount in July 2017.
Dudley said Doss was in an on-again, off-again relationship with Alyssa Toney. Last summer, they had broken up, and she told Doss not to come to her home, Dudley said.
But Doss came to the home anyway, Dudley said, and Toney responded by going to the magistrate to get a trespassing warrant against Doss. The warrant was issued July 21, but Dudley said there was no record of it having been served to Doss.
That same night, Toney was at home with Williams when Doss showed up.
Williams claimed Doss forced his way into the house, and when Toney testified at an earlier hearing, she confirmed his account.
There was some question as to whether Doss forced his way in or was invited in, Dudley said, but he noted that the door was previously damaged, such that it wouldn?t have to be kicked in, or something with similar force, to cause it to open.
Dudley said Doss asked Toney whether another man was in the house, and she said yes.
Dudley recounted that, in an interview with police, Williams said Doss came at him, ignoring warnings to halt. Williams shot Doss, who fell to the ground.
Doss was taken to the hospital, where he underwent numerous surgeries. He died Aug. 30. An autopsy found that Doss died from complications related to the gunshot wound, Dudley said.
Dudley said he consulted with Doss? loved ones in reaching this resolution. Two women with a connection to Doss were in the courtroom Thursday. One cried quietly after Dudley outlined the facts of the case, dabbing a tissue at her tears.
When Moreau reminded Williams that he was prohibited from contacting certain people, Williams said he understood the judge, and indicated it wouldn?t be a problem.
?I?d never met him before that night, ma?am,? Williams said of Doss.
