Florida woman convicted of killing her boyfriend and his brother, then kidnapping their mom at gunpoint
05/09/2025 12:40 pm PDT
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (TCN) -- A woman has been convicted of killing her boyfriend and his brother before kidnapping the victims’ mother at gunpoint.
The Florida State Attorney’s Office for the Fourth Judicial Circuit announced May 7 that a jury found Iris Williams guilty of two counts of second-degree murder, kidnapping with a firearm, tampering with evidence, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in connection with the deaths of Charles Watkins and Thomas Harris, as well as the abduction of their elderly mother. Williams will be sentenced at a later date and faces up to life in Florida State Prison.
On the morning of Oct. 18, 2023, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office responded to a home after a woman called to report that her two sons had been shot. The mother had been kidnapped at gunpoint and held captive, prosecutors said in opening statements.
According to the attorney’s office, responding officers found Watkins, Williams’ longtime boyfriend, sitting in a chair with a single gunshot wound to the head. Officials attempted lifesaving measures, but he was transported to a hospital, where he died shortly after. Harris was reportedly found deceased in his bedroom with multiple gunshot wounds.
The victims’ mother reportedly went to her room at approximately 9 p.m. the night prior but heard gunshots. Prosecutors said she went into the hall and discovered Harris shot. His last words to his mother were allegedly, "She shot me," referring to the defendant.
Authorities argued that Williams fired another shot while Harris was in bed before aiming the gun at the victims’ mother, telling her, "We got to go." Williams reportedly forced the mother to drive to a motel, where she held her hostage for hours. While en route, prosecutors said Williams admitted that she also shot Watkins.
According to the attorney’s office, Williams "disposed of the gun at the top of a bridge and tried to coerce the mother to lie to the police." However, the mother called law enforcement when they arrived back to the home in the morning.
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