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Jury finds Tirrell Edwards guilty of murder, felonious assault in death of Amanda Williams

Edwards was acquitted on one count of aggravated murder. He was found guilty on two counts of murder and felonious assault, plus a count of domestic violence.

CLEVELAND — The verdict is in.

A Cuyahoga County jury has found Tirrell Edwards guilty on several counts, including murder, in the death of his fiancée, Amanda Williams, in Warrensville Heights.

The jury found Edwards guilty on two counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault, and one court of domestic violence. The 42-year-old Edwards was acquitted on a charge of aggravated murder. 

“The State of Ohio believes that Amanda Williams’s death was an intentional homicide without justification and the evidence we presented has conclusively proven that,” said Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley in a statement following the verdict. “A jury composed of citizens from our county reached the same conclusion. Today’s verdict was a vital step in seeking justice for Amanda Williams. My prayers remain with Amanda Williams’s friends and family during this time.”

Sentencing for Edwards will take place in the courtroom of Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Steven Gall on Monday, March 11 at noon. 

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You can watch the verdict being read by Judge Gall on Monday in the player below. 

The jury began their deliberations in the case on Monday after closing arguments were given on Friday, March 1.

The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office says the case dates back to early October when the Warrensville Heights Police Department responded to the scene in the 19700 block of Sunset Drive where the 46-year-old Williams was found with multiple gunshot wounds.

She was taken to a nearby hospital where she was later pronounced dead.

Edwards ultimately turned himself in on Nov. 3 after police issued a warrant for his arrest.

When taking the stand last week, Edwards said he was acting in self defense when he shot Williams amid an alleged argument in which he claimed she grabbed a kitchen knife.

“I just shot rapidly. I was scared. She had me so scared with that knife,” Edwards said while on the stand.

It's a claim that prosecutors denied.

“I’m trying to run to get away. That’s when she cut me off and she lunged at me with the knife. I had no other choice,” Edwards testified.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE OF THE TRIAL FROM 3NEWS...

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