By Marlene LenthangNBC
News
A newly divorced Florida man shot and killed his ex-wife and their adult son after he "got enraged" that someone had left their house lights on, according to local authorities.
Michael D. Williams, 47, was arrested Sunday and charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Marsha Ebanks-Williams, 48, and Robert Adams, 28, the County Sheriff's Office announced. Volusia County (which includes Daytona Beach, just north of Orlando).
Williams called 911 at 8 p.m. and said he had shot his family in self-defense in the city of DeLand, in the house he still shared with Ebanks-Williams after their divorce in June after 10 years of marriage. according to the authorities.
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When officers arrived at the home, in the Daytona Park Estates neighborhood, they found Williams in a car in front of the garage.
He gave himself up without resistance.
They found the two victims inside the house, along with two children aged 5 and 6 unharmed.
The children had traveled from Tallahassee to see their father and were likely witnesses to the murders, according to the sheriff.
Detectives determined that Williams lost his temper after arguing with his ex-wife about the electric bill, according to agent Brian Henderson.
Williams told deputies that he had turned off the power to the house and put a padlock on the electrical panel on Sunday before he left.
When he returned, he found that Ebanks-Williams and Adams had removed the lock to restore power and put on a new lock.
"Michael was upset because he thought they were leaving the lights on too long and he put a lock on the box outside the house, which Marsha and her son cut," Henderson said during a Monday news conference.
"He got upset and that caused the argument that ultimately resulted in these two people being shot to death," he added.
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Williams told investigators he was hit in the face, but Henderson said he was unharmed when he was found.
During Monday's press conference, Henderson held up a photo of Williams that was taken after his arrest and said, "This does not look like the face of someone who was violently attacked enough to be shot multiple times."
Michael D. Williams, after his arrest. Volusia County Sheriff's Office
“This was an act without any sense, a discussion about paying for electricity.
She got enraged and committed this act of violence," she opined.
Tensions at the home had been rising in recent months, according to authorities.
The exes continued to live together after their divorce, although they had plans to sell the house and split the proceeds, Henderson said.
The sheriff's department had previously responded to at least five home dispute calls in those months.
In none of those cases were there threats of violence, they said.
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Henderson called the relationship "toxic" and revealed that Ebanks-Williams had called the Sheriff's Office on Sunday for legal advice, just hours before she was killed.
Williams has a criminal record for fake checks, domestic violence, assault on a law enforcement officer, and child abuse.
