PHENIX CITY, Ala. (WRBL) — A gut-wrenching first day of testimony in a high-profile Russell County child murder case concluded Wednesday afternoon with jurors watching 15 minutes of video where Jeremy Williams forced 5-year-old Kamarie Holland to give him oral sex.
He repeatedly berated the child, forcing her on him.
As the video played on a television screen in front of the 15 jurors — 11 women and four men — some jurors openly wept. Others clutched tissue as they looked at the brutal crime being committed in front of them.
Court personnel, many of whom couldn’t see the video but could hear the audio, were deeply impacted. Some law enforcement officers were fighting back tears.
His lawyers — Chuck Floyd of Phenix City and Andrew Maddox of Opelika — flanked Circuit Court Judge David Johnson’s bench.
All them watched the atrocity taking place on the screen near them.
Williams – in his jail scrubs — sat at the defense table eating mints, seemingly unfazed by his surroundings. At times Williams flipped pages on the book that was placed in front of him.
Williams has admitted to kidnapping, raping and brutally murdering the child in December 2021.
In the final moments of Kamarie Holland’s life, a meth-fueled Williams in what was described as a “sexual rage” was screaming obscenities at her to die. He had even made her smoke the drug.
Williams entered a guilty plea in the case last month, but under Alabama law to get the death penalty, a jury trial must be held. It took two days to seat a jury.
Williams’s attorneys have offered no objections and asked few questions on Wednesday.
Floyd put Williams’ wish for that on the record. The judge asked Williams if that was what he wanted.
Williams responded, ‘I don’t want them to say nothing.’
Before that video was played, two Columbus police officers testified to finding Kamarie’s body, following a lead from Williams’ wife.
The body cam video showed two officers deeply impacted by what they found.
When Phenix City police arrived, one Columbus officer asked if he had kids. The officer then said, “This is going to be rough.”
District Attorney Rick Chancey matter of factly outlined how a Columbus missing person case turned into a Russell County murder.
Kristy Siple, Kamarie’s mother, had a sexual relationship with Williams. Chancey said he tired of her and asked for the 5-year-old. After demanding $2,500, Kristy Siple settled for $1,300 she never got and handed her child to Williams.
Co-defense counsel Maddox told the jury that Williams sits before them an innocent man – and the only people who can remove that presumption of innocence is them.
The state used Williams’ own words to rip away that legal protection of presumed innocence. Williams gave a five-hour Christmas night 2021 jailhouse confession to jail commander Lt. Steve Johnson.
In that session, Williams admitted to the murder and rape of Kamarie Holland and his 1-month-old daughter in Alaska. That was a cold case that was reopened after the confession.
Williams also confessed to sexually assaulting other children.
Asked why he was confessing, Williams told the deputy “He wanted to get right with God before he’s executed.”
