Anniston man sentenced for attempted murder

Brandon Omar WIlliams

An Anniston man was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole on charges that he attempted to murder a Hobson City man in 2013.

Calhoun County Circuit Judge Bud Turner on Wednesday read his decision to 27 year old Brandon Omar Williams.

Williams on May 14 was found guilty by a Calhoun County jury for attempting to murder Kendrell Damon Williams on May 20, 2013.

Williams and 27 year old Terrell Montez Batchelor Sr.,  were indicted Aug. 16 on charges of attempted murder and discharging a firearm into an occupied building, according to court records.

Deputies with the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office on May 20, 2013 responded to a shooting on the 300 block of Wilkerson Drive in Hobson City. According to the Sheriff’s Office, Batchelor knocked on the door of the victim’s home while Williams hid. The victim opened the door and was shot in the eye by Williams.

Batchelor’s cell phone was found at the crime scene, which led investigators to the suspects.

Calhoun County assistant district attorney Randy Moeller asked Turner to sentence Williams to life without parole because of Williams’ numerous previous convictions, which include charges of drug possession and third-degree burglary.

The victim was blinded in one eye as a result of the shooting, Moeller said.

Williams’ attorney, Christopher Albert, responded that none of those earlier convictions were for violent crimes, and asked that Turner to give his client life with the possibility of parole.

Batchelor was released from jail on bond on Feb. 24, and his case is to go to trial Aug. 18.