WILLIAMSON CO.—A Johnston City woman is awaiting extradition from Tennessee after authorities have alleged that she murdered another Johnston City woman in mid-November.
Tamera Williams, 30, is being officially charged with multiple counts of murder in Williamson County after the body of Barbara Beers, 66, was found south of Marion on Friday, Nov. 15, 2013.
The discovery was made by authorities after a call came in to Williamson County’s 911 dispatch at about 3:30 p.m. that day; the caller was a neighbor to the yard on McInturf Lane, located about six miles south of Marion just off Hudgens Road, where Mrs. Beers’ body was found. Hudgens Road is accessible to the north-south state highway 37, which is not far from Interstate 57.
Reports to Disclosure indicate that the initial discovery of Mrs. Beers’ body was believed by the person who saw it, as a passerby, to be discarded trash, giving the impression that the body had been hastily dumped with little regard to the location before whoever placed it there moved on.
Stabbed multiple times
Mrs. Beers had been stabbed multiple times; while that was not determined immediately to have been cause of death, a later autopsy showed it to be the case.
When Williamson County investigators identified the body as that of Mrs. Beers, they quickly learned that her vehicle had been taken. Developing leads possibly from cell phone pings (Jackson County sources had reported to Disclosure that there was interest in pings discovered to have come from south of Crab Orchard Lake in the hours immediately following the discovery of the body, but no further information was made available), investigators stated their belief that Williams had taken Mrs. Beers’ car and was already out of Illinois, and on her way to Georgia.
Williamson County investigators did not reveal what it was that prompted them to believe Williams could be on her way to Georgia, although the immediate inference might be to be with family. But that, as well as how authorities were able to “track” her (as stated in a Williamson County Sheriff’s Department press release), went unexplained.
TBI, highway patrol on it
What is known is that Tennessee Bureau of Investigations as well as Tennessee Highway Patrol (state police), were able to join the effort and took Williams into custody later on the 15th following a traffic stop. The apprehension of Williams occurred without incident, and in Lavergne, Tennessee, in Rutherford County.
Unfortunately for the Illinois situation, Rutherford County charged Williams with a count of Theft (possession of a stolen vehicle), a count of being a Fugitive from Justice, and a Driving on Revoked License citation. She is being held at the Rutherford County Jail pending determination of outcome on those charges.
Williamson County investigators traveled to Rutherford County and retrieved the vehicle in order to process it for evidence in the death investigation.
On Sunday, Nov. 17, Williamson County’s assistant state’s attorney’s office issued four counts of First Degree Murder against Williams for the Beers homicide.
Assistant State’s Attorney Lisa Irvin filed the charges, the first alleging that Williams stabbed Beers, thereby causing her death; the second, that Williams stabbed Beers multiple times about the head, throat and body, knowing that act would cause her death and thereby causing her death; the third, that Williams stabbed Beers about the head, neck and body with a knife knowing such act created a strong probability of death or bodily harm and thereby caused her death; and the fourth that while committing a forcible felony (Aggravated Vehicular Hijacking), Williams stabbed Beers, a person over 60, about the head, neck and body while in the process of taking Beers’ car, thereby causing her death.
Williams’ bond was set at a million dollars.
No court appearance has been set for Williams in Williamson County.
Family gives backstory
Family of Beers told Disclosure in the hours following the discovery of her body that it was believed Beers had been approached by Williams on the day in question, and possibly asked if she would provide some kind of assistance, possibly even giving a ride to her all the way to Georgia.
Beers, said her family members, was a very kind, quiet woman who had worked at the Blue Cross Insurance office and pretty much kept to herself.
They said that on the day in question, she was visiting her son, Jason Beers, who had moved in to the same housing project in Johnston City as Williams; Jason had reportedly been there about a month.
A family member told Disclosure that when Williams asked Beers for a ride, Jason Beers advised his mom not to do it. But because of Barbara Beers’ kind nature, she did indeed offer Williams a ride; where to, at this point, is unknown, but the results of it, unfortunately, are.