[EDWARDS] - So she come back upstairs with the knife, so I record her again. [EDWARDS] - She grabbed the phone out my hand while I’m trying to record and [EDWARDS] - took the knife and poked the screen and bust the screen all up on the phone. [EDWARDS] - Then she slinged the phone. [EDWARDS] - And then she come charging me, so I’m running around the room. [EDWARDS] - I’m jumped up on the (expletive) bed [EDWARDS] - And while I’m jumping up on the bed, she’s trying to come down on me with the knife, so ... [EDWARDS] - I grabbed her gun from under the (expletive) mattress, and she was trying to come up. I shot her. [EDWARDS] - I shot her, man. I kept telling her, baby, calm down! [EDWARDS] - Put the (expletive) knife down! Stop! Warrensville Heights is a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, with a population of 13,789. As of the 2020 census. Many consider it a desirable suburb with good public services and education. Numerous parks, recreational facilities and historic landmarks are also within the city limits. While Warrensville Heights is home to major employers such as Progressive Insurance and General Electric Company, small businesses are the true heartbeat of the community, such as the A La Mode Stylez hair Salon, run by the highly experienced and prominent community member Amanda Williams. Amanda Williams was born in Cleveland, Ohio on April 18th, 1977. She was a woman of faith from a large, close knit family. Amanda was a vibrant Delta Sigma Theta sorority member and a devoted mother to her two children who were the center of her universe. She was also a grandmother and a well-regarded hairstylist within the community. Her social media presence was notable for its positive messages, designed to lift others up. She consistently highlighted the importance of personal and professional growth in her posts, urging her followers to focus on self-improvement despite distractions. 2023 marked a pivotal year for Amanda, who leveraging her 25 plus years in the haircare industry, realized her dream of owning a salon by launching A La Mode Stylez in University Heights, a fashionable area close to downtown Cleveland. Despite the salon industry's high failure rate with 80% of new salons shutting down within 18 months, Amanda's business not only survived but thrived. She expanded her customer base and launched her own haircare product line, strengthening her brand. Celebrating the salon's second anniversary highlighted a significant achievement in her successful business endeavor. On the surface Amanda's personal life appeared to be on an upswing. She lived in Warrensville Heights with her partner of six years, 41 year old Tirrell Edwards. He was a hospital worker with a side hustle as a driver for Walmart. Their relationship appeared to be moving forward based on the fact that they had become engaged. Through social media Amanda shared their highlights and happy times with her circle, including a romantic dinner on February 15th for Valentine's Day and a memorable birthday trip to Las Vegas, where they enjoyed premium seats at an Usher concert. Yet it was not all rainbows and butterflies for the couple as they had their share of issues. By October 2023, Amanda had become deeply concerned about serious red flags in her relationship and was ready to make tough choices. Despite being engaged for a year, her relationship with Tirrell was troubled and they were attending couples counseling. Although he had no prior felony criminal record, family and friends claimed that Tirrell had a history of physically and emotionally abusing and manipulating Amanda. They say he had been arrested for assaulting her in 2019. And in 2020, a restraining order was filed against him by a separate woman who had accused him of stalking and threats. According to her family and friends, Amanda was actively planning to leave Tirrell. Of course, research shows that often the most dangerous time for a victim of intimate partner violence is when they leave or attempt to leave the abusive relationship. On a brisk autumn morning on October 9th, 2023, with temperatures at a cool 43 degrees. Tension escalated in a home on the 19,700 block of Sunset Drive. Upon returning from a cosmetology convention in Columbus, Amanda didn't immediately reply to a text message from Tirrell, sparking his anger and leading to a day long argument. In response, Amanda disconnected Tirrell's phone service, prompting him to acquire a new phone number. The couple continued their dispute in the basement away from Amanda's daughter and granddaughter, who were upstairs. Amanda repeatedly demanded that Tirrell leave the house and he finally started to pack his belongings. However, the situation intensified until the conflict erupted late in the evening, and Tirrell dialed 911. Moments later, the Warrensville Heights police arrived at the doorstep. Upon entry, officers found Amanda riddled with gunshot wounds. Rescue personnel responded and transported her to South Pointe Hospital, where she later succumbed to her injuries. Tirrell was detained by the police and questioned about what had taken place. He initially told officers that the couple had been arguing when Amanda suddenly pulled a knife on him, holding him hostage in their bedroom. He claimed that when she lunged at him with the knife, he had no choice but to shoot her six times in self-defense. In bodycam audio he is heard explaining his version of events to the police. [EDWARDS] - So she come back upstairs with the knife, so I record her again. [EDWARDS] - She grabbed the phone out my hand while I’m trying to record and took the knife and poked the screen and bust the screen all up on the phone. [EDWARDS] - Then she slinged the phone. [EDWARDS] - And then she come charging me, so I’m running around the room. [EDWARDS] - I’m jumped up on the (expletive) bed [EDWARDS] - And while I’m jumping up on the bed, she’s trying to come down on me with the knife, so ... [EDWARDS] - I grabbed her gun from under the (expletive) mattress, and she was trying to come up. I shot her. [EDWARDS] - I shot her, man. I kept telling her, baby, calm down! [EDWARDS] - Put the (expletive) knife down! Stop! Tirrell was eventually released because there was insufficient evidence to press charges at the time. Despite this setback, the Warrensville Heights Police Department and the Cuyahoga County prosecutor's office announced that the investigation into Amanda's shooting was far from over. They actively sought assistance from the public, urging anyone with information to come forward. However, this response did not sit well with Amanda's family and the broader community who were eager for justice. I'm Amanda's brother. I'm Joey. Thank you Vernon ... and um, I need justice. However it gotta come, I need it. You see all these people behind me? She was loved by a lot and she got an army behind her. and we begging for it the right way. We want justice. Thank you again, Vernon. I'll have to live the rest of my life knowing that I wasn't there for my baby. She must have been terrified She must have been terrified for her children downstairs. You know, and I just need some closure. I need some peace for her children. To move forward, that's all. We just need some peace and justice. That's all we're asking for. She did not deserve this. And we want ... this is not just for our family, for any woman to be killed and only have an hour and a half or 2 hour investigation means any woman in Warrensville or any city should be scared. So we want this for everybody, and thank you again, Vernon. Attorney Ian Friedman you have a comment? Good afternoon. I'm Ian Friedman, counsel for the Williams family. And all I can say to you, Mrs. Williams, and to the rest of the family is no family should have to be standing on this stage, period. And to hear you say that you were not there as her mom - I beg to differ. You are here as her mom and everybody here now is going to make sure that this is seen through. The evidence that the police department had earlier was not the full picture. And as Pastor Vernon said, we're now going to bring all of that evidence so that the full picture is painted. And once seen, now, there should be a full investigation. And now the family will get what they deserve. An now Amanda will get what she deserves as the justice in this case. Thank you. Family and community members launched a social media campaign to pressure authorities to investigate Tirrell's claim of self-defense more thoroughly. It worked. 23 days after Amanda's shooting death the Warrensville Heights Police Department issued a press release in which they stated, "... after an investigation into the facts, information was presented to a grand jury sitting in Cuyahoga County. That grand jury voted in favor of issuing an indictment in the case of the death of Amanda Williams. Subsequently, the Cuyahoga County prosecutor's office issued an arrest warrant for suspect Tirrell Edwards for the homicide death of Amanda Williams." According to the prosecutor's office, the investigation's findings led them to believe Tirrell's claim of self-defense was part of a predetermined plot to kill her. Tirrell was indicted on one count of aggravated murder, two counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault, and one count of domestic violence. A warrant was issued for his arrest, but multiple attempts to locate and apprehend Tirrell were unsuccessful. Authorities urged him to turn himself in to law enforcement, which he did on Friday, November 3rd. He was held on a bond of $1 million. The trial began nearly four months later, on February 27th, 2024. Prosecutors were confident that their investigation had conclusively uncovered the true events of that fateful evening. Nevertheless, it would be up to a jury to determine whether Tirrell Edwards shot Amanda Williams in self-defense or in cold blood. The defendant gets a gun and shoots her six times. A revolver emptying the revolver into Amanda Williams, killing her in her own bedroom. She had told him to leave. I want you to leave. Go. He said no. And she has a knife with her. And they're arguing and the defendant gets a gun and shoots her six times. There's nothing mistakable about this. This man at the moment he shot did not want to be stabbed with that knife, and it was imminent. And that's the choice he made. And we believe when That when the court instructs you in self-defense. That that is self-defense. And that's the only choice he had. Testimony began with county deputy medical examiner Dr. Elizabeth Mooney taking the stand as the first witness. She explained to the courtroom that the cause of Amanda's death was gunshot wounds and the manner of death was homicide. Despite six shots being fired, Dr. Mooney identified eight gunshot wounds on Amanda's body. When the prosecution inquired whether the six shots Tirrell fired could account for all the gunshot wounds, she affirmed that it was possible for a single bullet to cause multiple wounds. Before the start of the trial jurors learned that Tirrell made a series of cell phone video recordings that captured the argument and audio of the shooting. You gonna stab me? [AMANDA] - I'm going to defend myself. Defend yourself from what? [AMANDA] - I'm going to defend myself. You acting violent ... there you go, see. Chill out! Chill out, man! [AMANDA] - You know what ... The video shows both parties in the couple's bedroom as Amanda clutched a knife and told him to get out of her house. A struggle ensues as Amanda approaches Tirrell and takes the phone from him, but it continues recording as Tirrell empties Amanda's revolver into her body. Prosecutors pointed out to the jury that in the footage, Tirrell never asked Amanda to put down the knife, never told her he had a gun, and didn't warn her that he was going to shoot her. They also noted that the rest of the video not shown here shows Tirrell near the bed's headboard, grabbing a gun that Amanda kept under her mattress while she was several feet away towards the foot of the bed and not moving towards Tirrell. When Tirrell took the stand, he stressed he was in fear for his life and had no other alternative at that moment but to shoot the knife wielding Amanda. Would you state your name, your full name, and spell it for the record? Tirrell Edwards ... Tyrrell started at the beginning, walking the court through his six year relationship with Amanda Williams. They'd been engaged at the time of her death, and Edwards said they'd been planning their wedding at the Word Church. We was taking pre-marital counseling, which we had just finished up. How would you describe the relationship? I describe it as being pretty good. On October 9th, 2023, Tirrell and Amanda have been arguing in text messages that were shared with the court. That evening at home, he says he wanted to put the day's disagreement behind them, but he told the jury Williams tried to kick him out. Something just wasn't right to me, with her. He described her eyes as red and bloodshot, telling police that night that "she had a demon in her eyes." When he wouldn't leave the house he says she issued a warning. And she told me, "okay, if you do stay here tonight, you're gonna have to sleep with one eye open." It was then Edward's claimed Williams reached toward his nightstand where he kept two guns, so he took them to his car and went back in. She was on the phone and it sounded like she was calling police. That's when he said he decided to pack a bag and go. So then she comes upstairs with a knife. Edward started recording on his phone. You gonna stab me? [AMANDA] - I'm going to defend myself. Defend yourself from what? [AMANDA] - I'm going to defend myself. You acting violent ... there you go, see. He says she rushed him with a knife, but his own cell phone video shows her setting it down. He struggled to recall exactly what happened, but told the jury that she must have gone back out for it at some point. Their argument escalated in the bedroom when he said she snatched his phone from him. He thought she stabbed him and jumped to the other side of their bed where a third gun came into play. I remember her like and I looked she was she was stabbing the screen on the phone. And I remember her coming towards me to her side of the bed. So I reached under the mattress where she keep her firearm. And I remember getting up and I thought that I shot her. Why did you shoot her? Because she was coming at me with the knife. I just shot rapidly. I was scared. I was. She had me so scared of that knife. You just said you were de-escalating by telling her to chill out. Why didn't you de-escalate further by saying, I've got your gun? Please stop? Like I said, I didn't want to shoot her. I'm trying to run to get away. And that's when she cut me off. And she lunged at me with the knife. Under cross-examination, the details changed. Did you hear those six sounds? That was her hitting the phone, wasn't it? Yes. You've got her gun already, correct? You just said so! Yes. Edwards testified that he fired four or five times. He thought she was dead and wanted to call 911. He sent Williams adult daughter away when she came up to see what had happened. Why not let Tyler go to her mother and try to help her? I didn't want Tyler to be traumatized. Really? I didn't. She kept trying to get over there. I didn't want her to see her mom like that. The prosecution effectively demonstrated that Amanda had set the knife down before approaching Tirrell. The defense argued that she could have retrieved the knife during a moment not shown on video. Nonetheless, the county medical examiner testified that one of Amanda's gunshot wounds would have caused complete paralysis from the neck down, making it impossible for her to hold a knife again. After all the evidence was presented and closing arguments made, it was up to the jury to determine the outcome of Tirrell Edward's case. All right, thank you everyone, have a seat. Ladies and gentlemen I understand that you've reached a verdict. Is that correct? Martin, would you be good enough to hand the forms to Ms. Durrell, please. Your Honor. All right. I have reviewed the verdict forms, and they do appear to be accurately or at least completely filled out. Mr. Edwards, would you please stand. The verdict forms in this case, Count one of the verdict reads: We, the jury in this case, being duly impaneled and sworn do find the defendant, Tirrell Edwards NOT GUILTY of aggravated murder in violation of 2903.01A of the Ohio revised code as charged in Count One of the indictment. It is signed in ink by all 12 jurors and the specifications are not completed. Count two of the verdict reads: We, the jury in this case, being duly impaneled and sworn, do find the defendant, Tirrell Edwards, GUILTY of murder in violation of revised Code Section 2903.02A of the Ohio revised code as charged in count two of the indictment. It is signed in ink by all 12 jurors. Pursuant to their directions the firearms specifications may be ... [mild commotion ensues from the gallery] First firearm specification, which reads We, the jury in this case, having found that ... Tirrell was acquitted of aggravated murder and found guilty of the remaining charges, including two counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault and one count of domestic violence. The sentencing hearing was conducted one week later. But all in all, those three things, and we appreciate that. All right, thank you. Everyone have a seat. So a couple of things, right? I absolutely once again expect proper courtroom decorum no matter what. The sheriff's deputies are here. They're in charge of courtroom security. And anybody does or says anything that impacts on public security, they have my full authority to act appropriately. And I know none of you wants that to happen. So please make sure you keep that in mind. I ask that all your phones be off and put away. Prosecution on behalf of the state. Thank you, Judge. Firearms and the use of firearms, especially in cases of domestic violence, which is what we have here, pose, a ... an extremely dangerous situation for people in those relationships. And that's exactly where Amanda Williams was. And the text message I'm about to read is your word for word that the state brought up during the trial shows that. If you remember, Judge, the defendant sat in the back of Officer Vick's car and said to himself, Why did you grab that knife? Why did you grab that knife? Amanda told him why she grabbed that knife, in video one. "... to defend myself," is what she said. And he sat there and said to this jury, "I'm not a ... I was never violent with her." He told the police all about things that she was like. Never once mentioning himself as part of it. On November 27th, 2020, she wrote a text message to him that reads as follows: "Every time I look in the mirror, I'm getting angry all over again. To walk around looking like a battered woman is not only embarrassing, but humiliating to use your phone to do damage is one of the ultimate sign of destruction. And you complain about me being a strong woman. Well, if I weren't as strong as I am, I would have had you thrown in jail and expose you to everyone." "No response needed," was her next message. His response was "I'm glad we're both strong and I hope you feel better. I'm sorry for what I did." He's not saying, Wow, what a misunderstanding we just had. He's admitting he used his foot to cause damage to her face. His next response? "I just wish the love we say we have for each other would show every day unconditionally." And her response to that, and this is why he knows exactly why she needed to defend herself, "It will never be the same." And she had pictures on her phone of her face, pictures of herself in the hospital two days earlier getting treatment. You heard Tyler Williams's testimony. She did not know about the problems in their relationship. On that same phone, this happened around Thanksgiving time of 2020, she has a picture with her son, Amanda. And she has a covid mask on her face. She hid this from her family, but he knew exactly what he did to her. And he can sit here now and have his lawyer say there's a whole different side to that story. Judge. But he sat there and told that jury, I'm not violent with her. She begs to differ still. So that being said, Judge, I want to talk about what happened. This defendant shot her six times in her own bedroom. He did not need to in his own testimony, he admitted that when she was looking down, hitting his phone, her attention was to the phone, not to him. But he also said at that time "she did not pose a threat to me." He also said, and you saw the still frame that was on the screen when I was asking those questions. He was on her side of the bed with the gun in his hand. You couldn't see it, but he said, "yes that gun is in my hand." And never once on that video did he say, I've got your gun, please stop. And he did not try to diffuse that situation. He had an opportunity and he killed this woman. For that, severe punishment is needed. That being said, Judge, I have with me, as you can see this courtroom is full of Amanda Williams family and friends. You've seen the letters, many of them, many of them being her sorority sisters, community members. To say she will be missed in this community is an understatement. A severe one. To say she'll be missed by her family is just not true. She won't be missed, she will be missed. She is missed. So, Judge, with me is Mr. Ian Friedman, who is the Marcy's Law lawyer for the family. And I would like to have him come up with. We've got a couple of speakers then Mr. Friedman is going to read a letter from her adult son, okay. [JUDGE] - Good afternoon, sir. Hey, how are you doing, Judge? I'm Joey Lewis. J-O-E-Y L-E-W-I-S and I'm Amanda's brother. and, uh, Judge I can't lie, we're hurting. [JUDGE] - So, (unintelligible) ... what i'll say to you, and I'll [JUDGE] - probably say to others, I can't imagine being in your shoes, right? Yeah. [JUDGE] - But I want you to know that whatever it is that you have to say to me [JUDGE] - I know is important. So, I'd encourage you [JUDGE] - to maybe take a couple of deep breaths and then when [JUDGE] - you are comfortable, I'm willing to take as much time as necessary [JUDGE] - for you to be heard, okay? Okay. [JUDGE] - I'll do it with you. Take a couple deep breaths. [JUDGE] - Okay. So deep breath in ... [JUDGE] - Hold it ... Yeah, we're hurting Judge. We're hurting. [JUDGE] - One more time. Deep breath in ... Okay. Yeah, I was raised with her. My mother had two kids. And your Yeah. So she's like a second mother to me. [JUDGE] - So here, just look at me and [JUDGE] - talk to me. Tell me about her. Right. [JUDGE] - Tell me about her, in your own words. [JUDGE] - Tell me about you. I'm her brother. She had a big part in raising me She made me the man I am today. [JUDGE] - And what do you do for a living? I'm in management. [JUDGE] - In town? Yeah. Okay, So, yeah, I'm calm. Cool. Yeah. So it was a big part of ... She was a big part of my life. We was raised by my mother. She had two kids. We both got grown, left and then went our own ways and, yeah, she was special. She did everything right in life but running across Tirrell Man, I can't imagine my ... I can't even look at my, my niece and nephew too long, I can't imagine what they're going through you know, they trusted somebody, right? They trusted somebody. And this what he did and I and I've been around him a lot. I've been around him a lot, And I never ... he a wolf in sheep's clothing. A little wolf ... I got in ... I'm so glad I met him so I can protect my daughter from people like him. Very, very smart. He's a very smart dude. We're the same age, we talked. He's very smart. He could've manipulated that situation any way he wanted to. He did exactly what he wanted to do. Exactly. Man, I can't begin to tell you how special she was. I mean, people she she did everybody hair, I can't imagine her getting their hair done and not thinking about her for the next ten years. It's just he know what he did. I know that, you know, I can't forgive him for this. I can't personally, because he's a man, and I know how smart he was. I know he could have made the right decisions. You know, he could have been in Daytona Beach with his bike. He wanted to do exactly what he did, and that's what he did. You know, I mean, keep going. He gave my sister everything he had. He gave everything he had to give her in that gun, every ounce of it. Please give him what you got in your ... every ounce of what you can give him. He didn't give her no ... How could you ... how could you kill that woman like that Tirrell? Tell me, man, how did you do that to her? Man? I just can't understand it as a man. I go through problems with my girl. But how a man can do something like that towards the person he said he loves. He came to me and my sister to, um ... She put together our family reunion. Every year I walked up and he pulled me to the side as soon as I walked and said, man, I'm going to ask you, man, can I marry your sister, man? Showed me a ring. I gave him dap, I said, man ... you know, I'm rooting for you. I just say I get engaged myself and I feel bad. I feel like I'm responsible for a little bit of this. I just, I put trust in somebody like this man, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to meet him, man, because I can protect the women in my family now, and look at people different. man, it's. [JUDGE] - It's not your hat to wear, though. [JUDGE] - I get what you're saying, but Yeah. [JUDGE] - It's not your hat to wear. I think I think he shouldn't have and I think that's why you stand up. He shouldn't have no problem doing whatever You got to give him. My great niece got to grow up. She was there. She told my daughter they both the same age, four years old. I come home and my daughters say, Damn, I'm sorry. Excuse me. Our daughters say "Dad, Tyler, say her papa killed her G-Ma as she was in her room sleep." I say Damn. I couldn't believe that a kid, four years old can understand something like this. But I need I need her to be grown enough before he get out. Until she can Process this and learn how to forgive. I guess from this. I don't want her as a teenager getting out and going through life and then something like this hit and then it just makes it that much worse. He needs she need to be grown enough. I think him. I think where she would be able to understand it, and, uh, be able to forgive That's all I got. I mean, that's it. You know Tirrell, go do your time, man, you put yourself in this position, man. you know, we liked you a little bit, she liked you, we liked you. I tried everything in my my everything to like you, man, and this what you did. I think is, I think the State is about to be lenient ... You can't get enough time right now. Thank you for your time, your honor. We appreciate it. [JUDGE] - You know, to say that this is a tragic [JUDGE] - case is an understatement, to say the very least. The loss to this family, [JUDGE] - to the community is immeasurable and there is no amount of time in terms of years [JUDGE] - that is any way meant to or will ever equate [JUDGE] - to the loss of Amanda's life. [JUDGE] - And to do this or to try to do so really is disrespectful to her memory. [JUDGE] - I do find that counts two through six merge [JUDGE] - and will proceed to sentence on count two. [JUDGE] - The sentence on count two will be a 15 year sentence or I should say [JUDGE] - a life sentence with parole eligibility after serving the full 15 years [JUDGE] - That will run consecutive to two 3-year firearms specifications pursuant to counts [JUDGE] - pursuant to 2929.14 VI-g. [JUDGE] - Additionally ... he'll serve an additional [JUDGE] - three years of firearm specifications again pursuant to my discretion [JUDGE] - under 2929.14 VI-g. [JUDGE] - Anything else at this point in time, Mr. Peleatro? No. Judge. Thank you. Just to confirm that the total sentence is life with parole eligibility after 24 years? Correct. Thank you. Tirrell Edwards received a life sentence with the possibility of parole after serving 15 years. However, due to firearms specifications, an additional three periods of three years each were added to his sentence to be served consecutively. As a result, Tirrell will be eligible for parole after completing a total of 24 years in prison.