"You may have taken her from this earth, but you will never take her from my heart," the father tells Henry M. Williams.
Johnny Graves hugs Tommie Johnson after his daughter's killer is sentenced this morning. Henry M. Williams received 18 years to life in prison for killing Lashonda Graves.Syracuse, NY - A Syracuse man was sentenced today to 18 years to life in state prison for killing Lashonda Graves, the mother of his two young daughters.
"You may have taken her from this earth, but you will never take her from my heart," the victim's father, Johnny Graves, told Henry M. Williams in court.
Graves called his daughter's killer a "coward" who stole his daughter's life "like a thief."
Williams, 31, of 101 Trinity Place, Apt. 2, said nothing before Onondaga County Judge William Walsh imposed the sentence agreed to when Williams pleaded guilty Sept. 16 to second-degree murder.
Williams admitted intentionally killing Graves, 30, by shooting her multiple times, including a shot to the head, as she sat in a car in a garage at the Springfield Garden Apartments complex in DeWitt early the morning of April 10.
Police found the body after Williams called 911 from a neighbor's home on Westcott Street to report he had killed someone.
Johnny Graves calls his daughter's killer "a coward" in court today.The victim left behind a brother who mourns her death every day and three children who will never get a chance to know her, Johnny Graves told Walsh.
Graves said his 10-year-old grandson will be able to live with memories of his mother. But his granddaughters, who were 2 years old and 2 months old at the time, will never have any memories, Graves told the judge.
"For as long as I'm alive, I will keep her memory fresh and alive in their hearts," he said.
Graves also said he hoped the case served as a warning to other people in abusive relationships to get out before it's too late. Outside court, Graves said he had not known his daughter's relationship with Williams had been volatile until after her death.
While Williams said nothing in court, defense lawyer Eric Jeschke said his client was very remorseful. He also said Williams accepted responsibility and pleaded guilty to spare his family and the victim's family from a trial.
Outside court, Chief Assistant District Attorney Christine Garvey said the only information authorities have about what happened between Graves and Williams was provided by the defendant. There were no witnesses to the murder and what led up to it.
Garvey said Williams has told police he and Graves were arguing about his belief she was involved in a relationship with another man. Whether Graves was or was not is not important since she and Williams had been separated and living apart for some time, the prosecutor said.
Prosecutor Christine Garvey says Henry M. Williams shot Lashonda Graves three times.According to Garvey, Williams and Graves apparently spent about two hours together in her car at various locations before Williams shot her three times.
Williams is the father of the victim's youngest two children, the prosecutor said.
That, Johnny Graves explained as he left court, accounted for his characterization of Williams as a coward.
"A real man wouldn't take the life of his kids' mother," he said. Graves said his daughter was "the best, the best child you could have."