SUMTER COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – The Fifth Judicial Circuit of the State Attorney’s Office shared in a Facebook post on Friday, January 5, that Bacarri Justice Austell was sentenced to life in prison for murdering a Sumter County teen, calling it a “senseless murder.” They say Austell took Chris’sean Williams’ life just two days before his 17th birthday.
The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) said in a release that they responded to a shooting near the basketball court at Royal Park around 6:15 p.m. on August 26, 2019. They say when deputies arrived, they learned that Williams had been shot while he was at the park during what the State Attorney’s Office described as a “video game gathering.”
SCSO says witnesses at the park told them that Austell approached Williams from the back, firing “several rounds” at him as Williams tried to run away. Witnesses also told deputies that Austell left the park and deputies were eventually able to locate him. According to SCSO jail records, on August 27, 2019, they booked him 1:30 a.m. and he was held without bond.
The State Attorney’s Office concluded that four shots were fired, including the fatal shot to Williams’ head. He was transported to the Ocala Regional Medical Center where he later died, according to SCSO.
During an interview, SCSO detectives say Austell made statements linking him to the murder. According to the State Attorney’s Office, he told them that he thought Williams was a person who threatened him on a different day and that the reason he shot Williams was because feared for his life. SCSO detectives say they later proved his statements to be false.
In November of 2023, the State Attorney’s Office says a jury found Austell guilty of second-degree murder with a firearm.
“This life sentence echoes the profound consequences of not just one, but two young lives lost,” said William “Bill” Gladson, Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney.
The State Attorney’s Office says their witness department played a major role in getting witnesses despite the “inherent challenges” in cases of this degree.
During Austell’s sentencing hearing, the victim’s mother, took the stand to share her victim impact statement.
The State Attorney’s Office says she told the court, “My son went to the park to play – to play. He was just a baby, a child.” She also added “he was scared to death in that video, he was running for his life.”
Williams’ family held up a photo at the courthouse of the last photo he sent his mother and she wears a pendant in his honor.
“As our community grapples with the tragedy of this teenager’s murder, may Austell’s sentence serve as a resolute reminder that our commitment to justice demands accountability for the choices we make,” added Gladson.