Lang
4/29/26
A jury has found an Iowa City murder suspect not guilty.
Defense attorneys had argued that Antavis M.W. Watson was acting in self-defense in the shooting death of 38-year-old Elijah Williams of Iowa City, and that Williams shot first. The jury took a day-and-a-half to agree.
Watson was accused of shooting Williams as he and his girlfriend, Mindy Colwell, were in a car parked on the 1800 block of South Gilbert Street just before midnight on March 29th, 2025. Witnesses say Watson fired several rounds into the vehicle, and phone records indicate Watson and Williams had been feuding leading up to the shooting. Watson was charged with 1st Degree Murder, Attempted Murder, and Possession of a Firearm as a Felon.
Colwell testified that she had been dating both men off-and-on, and sometimes at the same time., Both men were aware of the other’s relationship with Colwell. The two eventually traded threats via text.
Watson has previous kidnapping and other felony charges against him. He was given a ten-year prison sentence on charges of 1st Degree Theft and Domestic Abuse Assault Involving a Weapon after a 2011 incident in Johnson County. Robbery and weapons charges against Watson out of Lee, Henry and Des Moines counties have been dismissed in the past due to plea deals.
If convicted on the murder charge, Watson would have faced life in prison without the possibility of parole.