On the day his Solano County Superior Court preliminary hearing was to begin, a 20-year-old Fairfield man on Wednesday pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter for the fatal Easter 2021 shooting of a Vanden High student athlete in Fairfield.
Seated at the defense table in Department 9, James Sterling Shawn Williams, listening closely to Judge Carlos R. Gutierrez’s questions, first heard the judge note that the maximum sentence he could impose was four years and eight months in state prison but it appeared likely the judge would impose three years eight months instead.
The judge dismissed one count, but Williams, as the remaining charges were read, uttered “no contest” not only to the main charge but also to the illegal discharge of a firearm and possession of a semi-automatic handgun, factors that led to the April 4 shooting of Daniel Dejon Hughes, 17.
With the no-contest pleas, Williams did not admit guilt but essentially stated he would offer no defense. Gutierrez immediately found him guilty, standard procedure in such plea agreements. And with the pleas, Williams avoided the possibility of further arraignment after a preliminary hearing and the possibility of 25 years to life for murder, if convicted at trial on that charge.
In a courtroom packed with friends and relatives of both Hughes and Williams, who is out of custody on bail, Gutierrez then ordered Williams to return for the sentencing hearing at 10 a.m. June 20 in the Justice Center in Fairfield.
As those in the public gallery filed out of the courtroom, several people looked visibly upset about the plea agreement and Williams’ punishment, as one person could be heard saying that justice did not prevail.
Attorney Curtis C. Boyd, who represented Williams as the case made its way through the court for more than two years, noted in a text message that his client, at the judge’s discretion, was still eligible for probation or a lesser prison sentence than the maximum Gutierrez mentioned.
“The plea resolution limits the exposure,” or maximum punishment, to three years, eight months, noted Boyd.
Deputy District Attorney Courtney Anderson appeared on behalf of the County District Attorney’s Office.
In a brief telephone interview, Dejon Hughes, Daniel’s father, said he was “upset” with the agreement and the possible maximum punishment that could be meted out to Williams.
“It does shows that justice has not been completely served in this matter,” he said. “My son was murdered. The life that’s been lost can never be replaced.”
“I’m upset with fact it didn’t go to trial,” Dejon Hughes continued, adding, “James Williams threw himself on the mercy of the court and asked for this plea. It’s been very difficult for the family. We have suffered a great loss in losing Daniel. Based on the evidence, this was not an accident but was being tried as one.”
He noted, as court records showed, there was a third person in the car, where the shooting occurred in Fairfield. That person, he said, reportedly heard the handgun being racked, “then a boom, so it doesn’t sound like an accident to me.”
Also interviewed by phone, Daniel’s mother, Katie Marshman, said the sentence “wasn’t harsh enough.”
“He murdered my son,” she said of Williams. “I just feel we waited two years to go to trial and that’s not going to happen. He’s shown no remorse and he murdered my child. This can’t be justice. His (Daniel’s) life did matter, his life was important.”
Interviewed outside the courtroom, family friend Joe Gonzalez reacted to the plea agreement, saying, “It’s unfortunate this happened. He (Williams) was protected by the court. Nothing’s going to bring Daniel back. It’s a loss for the family.”
The outcome of the case comes as recent news reports affirmed and the Kaiser Family Foundation last year reported that firearms have become the leading cause of death for children and teenagers in the United States, surpassing motor vehicle deaths and those caused by other injuries.
As previously reported, Fairfield police investigators alleged Williams shot Hughes on April 4, 2021; the teen died two weeks later. Police officials, who described Williams as a friend of the victim, later ruled the shooting a homicide.
Events unfolded around 4:40 p.m. when officers responded to a report of a gunshot victim in a vehicle in the 1000 block of Broadway Street, near Madison Street. They found Hughes in the vehicle along with another young man, but the driver said to be the suspect, had fled, according to investigators.
Officers performed life-saving measures before Hughes, who played on the school’s varsity football and basketball teams, was taken to NorthBay Medical Center in Fairfield.
A warrant was then issued for the suspect, identified as Williams, also an alumnus of Vanden High.
Williams surrendered to the police two days later. He was booked into Solano County Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon using a firearm; willful discharge of a firearm with gross negligence; carrying a loaded handgun he does not own; being a minor in possession of a concealed weapon; being a minor in possession of ammunition.
He was arraigned on April 8 in Solano County Superior Court in Fairfield, with bail set a $70,000. Williams posted bail on April 9, court records show.
But court records also showed that the Solano County District Attorney’s complaint against Williams was amended on May 28, but it was unclear at the time if that modified the charges initially recommended by Fairfield police.
Williams posted a reduced bail amount of $35,000 on June 1 and was released from custody.
Also as previously reported, Daniel’s death prompted an effort by his family and other community members to have the Vanden High stadium named in honor of Daniel or have the district aid in creating some type of memorial for him at the 2951 Markeley Lane campus in Fairfield.
Currently, the athletic field is named after George A. Gammon but the stadium is not formally named, which supporters pointed out to Superintendent Pamela Conklin, who rebuffed the stadium-naming idea during a meeting earlier in 2022.
Still, Dejon Hughes, some coaches, students and graduates vowed at that time to persevere with their efforts to honor Daniel in some way.
A Travis Unified committee in October 2022 convened to consider naming the stadium in memory of Daniel.
The Naming of the Facility Committee, as it was called, heard Dejon Hughes and supporters of the idea argue that the idea should be presented to the Travis Unified governing board for consideration and possibly a vote.
However, a week or so later, district trustees, based on a recommendation by the committee, denied a request to add Hughes’ name to the school’s Gammon Field.
Source: www.mercurynews.com