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MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee man who was found guilty in a 2025 homicide has now been sentenced to life in prison.
In court:
A jury convicted Terry Jefferson, 35, of first-degree intentional homicide in July. On Oct. 8, Milwaukee County Judge Laura Crivello sentenced Jefferson to life in prison. He will be eligible for release on extended supervision after serving 35 years.
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The backstory:
A criminal complaint said Milwaukee police were already at an apartment building, looking for a wanted person, when an officer heard a loud bang just before 5 p.m. followed by a rapid succession of gunfire. They found Jefferson and the victim, later identified as Charles Williams, in a second floor hallway. Jefferson was holding a gun in his right hand.
Jefferson was taken into custody. Williams was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, and court filings said an autopsy determined he died from multiple gunshot wounds.
Terry Jefferson
What they're saying:
The complaint said detectives spoke to a witness who heard a single gunshot, looked into the hallway and saw Jefferson and Williams, who had been shot and was on the ground. The witness said Jefferson was holding a gun and told the witness that Williams "tried to grab my gun" and "shot himself" before telling the witness to "call the paramedics."
The witness called 911, and court filings said Jefferson took the phone. Williams seemed mad that he'd been shot and tried to get up, the witness said. When the witness went back into their apartment, they heard six or seven more gunshots in "quick succession."
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Dig deeper:
According to the complaint, the witness sent police a clip from a doorbell camera that captured some of the incident after the first gunshots. The 22-second clip showed Jefferson standing over Williams, consistent with what the witness said happened before going back into their apartment. Williams was on the ground and not moving at that time.
Jefferson in custody
What they're saying:
Once in custody, the complaint said Jefferson told police he was moving into his apartment and had a gun in the pocket of his hoodie. He said Williams was helping him move and knew he had a gun on him. Jefferson explained Williams started "grabbing for stuff" and he believed Williams was trying to get the gun, so he grabbed the gun himself and shot Williams.
Jefferson believed the first shot hit Williams in the face, according to court filings, and he told Williams to lay down when the witness came out, and he asked the witness to call 911. He said he got on the phone but struggled to hear the dispatcher.
The complaint said Jefferson told police that his gun jammed, so he cleared it and told Williams to "chill out." Jefferson also acknowledged he never saw Williams with a gun or any other weapon, and the second round of gunshots happened when Williams was "coming towards him and reaching for him."
Jefferson and Williams were a foot or two apart from one another when the first shot was fired, court filings said, and Williams was more than an arm's length away when Jefferson started shooting a second time.
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The Source: Information in this post is from the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office and Wisconsin Circuit Court.