Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Highland, IL: Highland woman’s boyfriend charged with her murder

A murder charge has been filed against a Highland man in the shooting death of his live-in girlfriend.

Douglas Anthony Smith, 26, is charged in the death of Jacqueline Williams, who was found shot in the left eye at close range as she lay at the foot of her bed in the 2600 block of 40th Place. She was wearing only a robe.

Witnesses told police Smith and Williams had a volatile relationship and sometimes their arguments turned physical, the probable cause affidavit states.

Early on Jan. 14, two days before Williams’ body was found, witnesses said Smith and Williams had been drinking at a bar and got into a disagreement in which both Smith and Williams used profanity. Smith grabbed Williams in the upper arm, court records state.

Co-workers called police about 12 a.m. Monday after Williams failed to show up for her 10:30 p.m. shift the previous night. They were waiting outside her apartment when police and Smith’s mother arrived. Smith’s mother told police her son had left her a voice mail about 9:30 p.m. asking her to check on Williams and stating he was in Florida and on his way back to Indiana.

In an interview with police, Smith’s mother indicated her son had called her Monday evening very upset and crying and said “it was an accident,” that he wanted to kill himself and said he planned to surrender but was in Florida. He told his mother he’d called Highland police from a bar and told them to go to 2611 40th Place, said thank you and hung up.

A witness at Franco’s Bar said a regular customer came in, asked to use the phone, recited an address, said thank you and left.

At the duplex, police found an empty box for a .357-Magnum revolver and six bullets missing from a box of ammunition. Police also recovered a spent bullet.

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