Woman sentenced to 25 years for attempting to murder her supervisor

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

Linda Renee Williams, 41, was arrested on January 18, 2020, for trying to murder her supervisor at a law firm over an “accounting mistake.” Williams allegedly asked the victim to talk about the issue in a room with a closed door, then stabbed the victim in the side of her neck with a fishing knife. She continued to try to stab the victim until other employees arrived in response to the screaming of the victim. The victim was taken to the hospital on a trauma alert. The victim recovered after time in the Trauma Unit, followed by weeks of physical therapy, but still suffers pain and discomfort from the injuries.

Williams was released on bond of $250,000 but was arrested again in February of 2020 and charged with stealing an estimated $18,000 from her employer by writing checks to friends and family and forging the signature.

Williams changed her plea on five of the six counts (2 counts of attempted first degree murder, one count of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, two counts of fraud, and one count of larceny) to nolo contendere on August 2, 2021, without a negotiated plea. Her attorney then moved for a reduced sentence based on a psychological evaluation that found she was “under extreme emotional distress that compromised her ability to use sound judgement at time of the offenses.” One count of attempted first degree murder, related to an alleged attempt to run the same victim off the road on her way to work, was dropped.

On October 19, Williams was adjudicated guilty on those five charges and sentenced to 25 years in the Department of Corrections on the attempted murder charge with credit for 616 days time served. She also received 15 years probation on the other four counts, after being released from jail. A mental health evaluation and treatment were recommended, both while incarcerated and on probation. She was also ordered to provide restitution of $25,194 to the law firm Scruggs, Carmichael and Wershow, P.A.