Tiffany James and her twin girls were on their way home from trick-or-treating one Halloween night in 2015 when tragedy struck.
James was shot in front of her children by their father, Darryl Eugene Williams, dressed as Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th.
Years of tension, court filings, and alarming allegations lie behind the horror of that night, all pointing to a relationship on the verge of dissolving.
Here’s all you need to know about Tiffany James’ murder and subsequent arrest.
Who was Tiffany James?
James was 35 years old and the mother of twin children, Diamond and Da’Niyah, whom she shared with Williams.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, her professional experience included working in student recruitment at Ultimate Medical Academy in Florida.
What happened on Halloween Night?
On Halloween night in 2015, James and her girls were heading home after trick-or-treating in Brandon, Fla., a suburb east of Tampa, when the twins’ father, Williams, approached.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, Williams approached James in the dark and shot her twice, while their daughters stood by her. His girlfriend, who was sitting in a car nearby, observed the shooting. Her testimony would ultimately be essential in helping authorities charge Williams with murder.
A neighbor called 911 at 11 p.m. after hearing a loud bang, according to a Snapped episode about the incident. When the neighbor stepped outside, she noticed James laying on the ground. A figure dressed in a full Halloween costume, purportedly resembling Jason from Friday the 13th, stood over her holding a shotgun.
The neighbor hastily retreated inside to hide. Moments later, she heard three gunshots. Then there was a knock at her door.
When she opened it, she discovered one of James’ daughters, injured and afraid. She welcomed both girls into her flat.
“They had blood all over them. One of them… could not even speak. She would try, but no voice came out. “It’s heartbreaking,” Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Detective Moises Garcia wrote on Snapchat.
First responders took James to Tampa General Hospital, where she died from her injuries.
How was Williams charged?
Initially, it was difficult to connect Williams to the crime since he refused to cooperate with detectives despite being designated a person of interest the next day. Then his girlfriend spoke up, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
She told the investigators that she drove Williams to the apartment complex and waited with him until James arrived home, which was after 11 p.m. She claimed to have heard James scream, seen them argue, and then heard gunfire.
Williams was arrested at his employer, the Mosaic phosphate factory in Riverview, as a result of her testimony. He was charged with first-degree murder and detained without bail.
What was Williams’ relationship with James?
According to Snapped, James and Williams met in 2008. He was 14 years older, and they both had children from prior relationships. They welcomed twin girls.
By 2013, the two had separated. In the summer of 2015, James reconnected with an old acquaintance, a single father, which reportedly increased tensions between her and Williams.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, James and Williams filed protection orders against each other during a seven-year period. Each professed to dread the other, but all requests were turned down.
In a 2011 court statement, James stated, “I am afraid to meet him alone because of all of the threats he has made,” and asked for supervised custody exchanges for their girls.
She also claimed that Williams verbally abused her two older sons from a prior relationship, telling one of them, “If you died, I would spit on your grave.” In another petition, she claimed Williams threatened their life, stating that her family “would have to prepare for a funeral.”
Williams later filed his own suit in August 2015, stating that James’ relatives were harassing him over the phone and threatening to “blow my brains out.” The judge dropped the case due to insufficient evidence.
According to Snapped, detectives eventually discovered a sequence of troubling incidents, including allegations that Williams had targeted James at her workplace and that someone had sabotaged her car’s petrol tank.
Just one day before the murder, James was given custody of the twins during a court appearance.
Where is Williams today?
Williams was charged with first-degree murder, but he eventually agreed to a plea agreement.
“We were disappointed,” James’ brother Humphrey told Snapped about the plea deal. “He shot my sister in the face with a shotgun.” I watched her on the ground. The females were right there beside her. Coward is too good a word. It did not feel like justice. But, to minimize further harm to the kids, I believe that avoiding the stand and putting them back in that scenario was the wiser option.”
According to Snapped, Williams is due to be released from prison in 2035.
“I feel like Darryl snapped because he lost control,” Humphrey remarked. “He felt more at ease without her presence… As wicked and twisted as it sounds, I believe that was his ultimate vengeance.”
