JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WJAC) — A Johnstown man accused of gunning down a teenager in December of 2017 has been found not guilty on all charges.
The verdict in the trial of Ethan Williams was announced Wednesday.
Police say 18-year-old Tavion Williamson was shot to death in Glitch Alley in the Hornerstown section of Johnstown December 3, 2017.
Williams was arrested and charged with homicide about two months later.
During closing arguments, the defense argued that the prosecution’s case rested solely on the testimony of one witness, DeOndre Triplin, whom the defense claimed changed his story three different times throughout the investigation.
The defense also claimed that investigators had labeled Triplin a suspect at the beginning of the investigation but later labeled him as a witness.
Police claimed Triplin was marked as a suspect in their computer system because they knew he was in the area when Williamson was shot, but police later changed Triplin to a witness after interviewing him.
The defense also claimed there was no physical evidence linking Williams to the crime – just the witness testimony.
The prosecutors said Williams was not arrested until two months after the crime which would have given him plenty of time to get rid of evidence.
During Triplin’s testimony, he claimed that the group of people he was with that night went to 3 Reds Tavern to purchase some items which police say were found on Williamson’s body.
Prosecutors say surveillance video showed the items being purchased which lines up with the testimony.
Prosecutors also said that there’s evidence of Triplin running home after Williamson was shot which was corroborated by Triplin’s mother who said he was out of breath when he arrived home.
6 News asked Williams' defense attorney what his reaction was after hearing the verdict:
"Honestly, just relieved," Attorney Randall McKinney said. "You know, I thought it was a hard fought case on both sides. Going in to closing arguments, I thought it was a pretty close call, I was comfortable where we were, after closing arguments I felt pretty good. Once i knew that the jury was coming back with a verdict pretty quickly, I was pretty confident that it would be in our favor."
The Cambria County District Attorney's Office released the following statement regarding the verdict:
"While we are disappointed in the verdict rendered by the jury today in Commonwealth vs. Ethan Williams, we respect the jury and thank them for their service. We continue to pray for the friends and family of the victim, Tavion Williamson, and are committed to pursuing justice in all cases at all times."
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