CLEARFIELD – A Morrisdale woman convicted for the death of her husband will have to wait a bit longer to be sentenced.
In June, a jury determined that Kimberly Sue Williams, 48, Morrisdale, was guilty of involuntary manslaughter and recklessly endangering another person in Ronald Williams Jr.’s death, both misdemeanors.
They found her not guilty of first- and third-degree murder.
During the trial, the defense claimed that Ronald Williams Jr., who was bedridden after a stroke six years before, shot himself in the head on March 14, 2019 because he was depressed and obsessed with death.
During the trial, the prosecution produced evidence that Ronald Williams Jr. sent a message just hours before his death, saying if something happened to him that an autopsy should be done and he wanted to change his will, which benefited his wife who was due to inherit over one million dollars from a trust fund set up for his care.
She was also having an affair with a man in North Carolina.
Physical evidence in the case included traces of gun powder residue on Kimberly Williams’s hand and back while Ronald Williams Jr. had none, not even in the wound.
There was also no blood on the barrel of the gun, and a pathologist determined that the shot in the head that killed Ronald Williams Jr. came from further away than the length of Ronald Williams Jr.’s arm even though the gun was found gripped in his hand with his arm across his body.
On Tuesday Kimberly Sue Williams was set to be sentenced, but a disagreement on whether the two charges merge for sentencing purposes between the defense and the prosecution, caused a problem.
District Attorney Ryan Sayers stated that instead of representing one act, the two charges actually are related to multiple acts, including that the reckless endangerment is connected to her possibly changing his medication and not his actual death with is represented by the involuntary manslaughter charge.
Defense attorney Steven P. Trialonas, responded to this by saying she could not commit involuntary manslaughter without recklessly endangering the victim. He also noted that there was no evidence presented or arguments to the jury regarding his medication during the trial.
If she is sentenced on both charges, she could spend more time in incarceration.
Williams has already served 604 days in the county jail, which is more than the standard range for involuntary manslaughter.
President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman stated that the recommendation for her sentence from the probation department was for consecutive sentences amounting to time served.
Sayers asked for a maximum state prison sentence of five years.
To which Trialonas responded, “She was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, not murder.”
Trialonas explained that a state prison sentence would mean she would have to wait to be transferred, then classified, which would cause her to serve up to 900 days before she could be paroled.
He asked for an “appropriate sentence” of time served, plus probation.
Ammerman asked both sides to submit briefs on the issue of whether the charges merge, which he will review before another sentencing hearing will be held.
Williams is currently free on $5,000 bail.
