LAWTON Okla_ Testimony began
Thursday in the murder trial of a former Ft. Sill
soldier accused of killing his girlfriend's son.
Connell Williams
is on trial at the federal courthouse in Lawton
for starving 10-year-old Marcus Holloway to death.
The child's
father, Timothy Holloway, took the stand and appeared frustrated. He even
fought back tears several times when mentioning his son. He testified that he
and Candice divorced in 2009. He said she brought Marcus and his sister, Charisma,
to Fort Sill in 2010. He said she told him that
she and Williams were married, which is not true. Holloway said in the months
before Marcus' death, his kids were difficult to get a hold of, and he said
their conversations seemed rehearsed.
He then
described a chilling conversation with Marcus a week before his death. 33-year-old
Connell Williams' expression never changed, as Timothy Holloway emotionally
recounted the last conversation with his son. Holloway said a week before Marcus's
death, Candice called him and said that Marcus' behavior was out of control. She
accused Marcus of stealing. Holloway said when he asked Marcus why he was
stealing, Marcus replied, "Because I am hungry." He said that's when Candice
grabbed the phone from Marcus and nervously said, "There's food here."
During cross
examination, the defense's line of questioning seemed to imply that Candice was
a bad mother before she moved to Fort
Sill. Holloway admitted
that she was a strict parent and was often harder on Marcus that Charisma, but
said she was a good mother when they were together. He said he's never spoken
with Williams and had no idea that Marcus was being starved.
A special agent
with the army also testified. He talked about the search of Williams' home
hours after Marcus' death. He said that investigators noticed major differences
between Marcus' room and Charisma's. He said Charisma's room was furnished and
well ventilated. He said Marcus' room had no furniture, except for clothing and
a pillow, and the air vents in his room were closed.
Prosecutors
also called first responders and emergency room staff to the stand. They all
testified that both Candice Holloway and Williams seemed unemotional and
evasive about Marcus' death.
Candice Holloway
has made a deal with prosecutors: she will testify against Williams in exchange
for 30 years in prison.
Federal
prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in Williams's case.
