Hunter
04/30/25
An Iowa City man accused of murder is set for trial this summer.
44 year-old Antavis M.W. Watson was arrested April 1st and charged with 1st Degree Murder, Attempted Murder, and Possession of a Firearm as a Felon.
38-year-old Elijah Williams of Iowa City was shot and killed as he and another person were sitting in a car parked along the 1800 block of South Gilbert Street just before midnight on March 29th. Williams was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Witnesses say Watson fired several rounds into the vehicle, and phone records indicate Watson and Williams had been feuding leading up to the shooting.
Earlier this month, Watson entered a plea of not guilty and Judge Jason Besler set trial for July 8th with a Case Management Conference on May 16th. A no-contact order is in place between Watson and the other person in the vehicle.
Watson has previous Johnson County kidnapping and other felony charges against him.
In 2011, Watson was arrested on vehicle theft, kidnapping, and numerous other charges in connection with a series of incidents in Johnson County. As part of a plea deal, Watson was given a ten-year prison sentence on charges of 1st Degree Theft and Domestic Abuse Assault Involving a Weapon. All other criminal counts, including kidnapping, were dismissed. Robbery and weapons charges out of Lee, Henry and Des Moines counties have also been dismissed in the past due to plea deals.
If convicted on the murder charge, Watson faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.