2 Killed in Florida After Argument Over House Electricity, Ex-Husband Arrested

Efthymis Oraiopoulos
By Efthymis Oraiopoulos
September 24, 2022US News
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2 Killed in Florida After Argument Over House Electricity, Ex-Husband Arrested
Chief Deputy Brian Henderson speaks at a news release on the double homicide in DeLand, Fla., on Sept. 19, 2022. (Volusia Sheriff's Office via Facebook/Screenshot via NTD)

Two people were killed in a shooting after a domestic dispute over electricity in DeLand, Florida, on Sunday, according to local police.

Marsha Ebanks-Williams, 48, and her son Robert Adams, 28, lost their lives after Michael Williams, 47, shot them inside their home.

Williams called the police and surrendered after the shooting.

Williams was married for 10 years to the victim Ebanks-Williams, and they divorced in June. Williams was allowed to stay in the house where the incident happened, as they had a divorce agreement for cohabitation.

Ebanks-Williams was planning to sell the house and divide the proceeds with him. They had no children in common. The second victim, Adams, father of two children, was Ebanks-Williams’ son from an earlier relationship.

Chief Deputy Brian Henderson stated that Williams and Ebanks-Williams had disputes over the use of electricity in the house, which led to Williams’s anger and the shooting.

Both of them had in the past called the police several times over verbal disputes.

Ebanks-Williams had called some hours before the incident, asking for legal advice on who controls the electricity in the house.

Williams was upset that the other cohabitants were leaving the lights on, and he said on Sunday that he had shut the electricity off and put a lock on the electricity panel. After returning home and he found that the lock had been removed, the electricity was on, and a new lock had been installed; which resulted in an argument that led to the two people being shot.

“This is senseless, you know, this is absolutely senseless, this was an argument over electricity,” Henderson said.

Two children, 6 years old and 5 years old were present in the house when the shooting happened. They were Adams’s children.

Henderson said they might have witnessed their father being murdered. The children were found unharmed.

Police were present at the house five times this year, for minor disputes that had not included physical violence, and no arrests had been made.

Williams said that he was attacked by the two victims and was punched repeatedly in the face. Regarding this allegation, Henderson took out Williams’s mugshot after the incident and showed it to the media. No major injuries can be seen on Williams’s face.

“This guy, who appears to be in decent shape, is telling us that he was attacked violently. I don’t see it,” Henderson said.

florida homicide
Chief Deputy Brian Henderson shows a mugshot of Williams after the incident. (Volusia Sheriff’s Office via Facebook/Screenshot via NTD)

Williams had a criminal history which includes arrests several years ago in another jurisdiction for domestic battery, child abuse, and battery on a law enforcement officer, but he was not convicted of any of those charges.

In Volusia county where the incident took place, there were 700 domestic violence arrests, said Henderson.

Williams is charged with two counts of first-degree murder. He is held at the Volusia County Branch Jail.

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