DELTONA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Volusia Sheriff’s Office arrested a man who they say murdered his ex-wife and her son in front of her grandchildren Sunday night in Deltona.
Deputies said they got a call from the Daytona Park Estates neighborhood around 8 p.m. from the killer, 47-year-old Michael D. Williams of Deltona, who said he shot the two victims in self-defense.
“He claims that he was violently attacked by these two,” Chief Deputy Brian Henderson said. “Now I don’t see anything on this guy. … This does not look like a violent attack to me that warrants being shot multiple times.”
Upon arrival, deputies located Williams sitting in a parked vehicle in the home’s driveway. Body cam video showed the deputies order the suspect to back up and get on the ground to arrest him.
“Keep your hands up above your head!” A female deputy is heard saying on the video.
After entering the home, the deputies found the bodies of Marsha Ebanks-Williams, 48, and her son Robert Adams, 28.
Ebanks-Williams was married to Williams for 10 years before their divorce in June. The chief deputy said the female victim still lived with the suspect, with the plan being that she’d sell the house and split the profits.
Also inside the home were Adams’ two children, ages 5 and 6, who were believed to have witnessed the murder. Authorities said the children, who live in Tallahassee, were visiting Adams at the time.
Authorities said the shooting began as an argument over electricity. Williams told authorities that he had shut the power off to the house and locked the electric panel Sunday night.
After he came back to the home, he found that the lock was cut, power was restored, and the panel had a new lock.
Deputies said Williams told them he was held down and punched repeatedly during the argument, which is why he shot the victims. However, he did not have any significant injuries aside from a few scratches, leading authorities to believe the situation was a murder.
According to the chief deputy, multiple shots were fired, but it is not known how many were fired.
“This is absolutely senseless,” Henderson said. “This was an argument over electricity, which he became enraged and committed this kind of violence.”
Williams was previously arrested for domestic battery, child abuse, and battery on a law enforcement officer, but he was not convicted for those crimes.
The sheriff’s office said both the Ebanks-Williams and Williams called them multiple times over the last few months to document arguments over the property. However, there were no domestic violence allegations before the murder happened.
Williams was booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail on two counts of first-degree murder.
