Capital murder trial to continue in 2016 Commerce double homicide
Nov. 7—Testimony is scheduled to enter its second week in a potential death penalty capital murder trial of a Travis County man, indicted in connection with a 2016 double homicide of a mother and daughter near Commerce.
Opening arguments and the start of testimony began Nov. 1 and as of late last week, the prosecution was still presenting its case in the trial of Tyrone Jamaal Williams.
The trial is scheduled to resume Monday morning in the 196th District Court.
Hunt County District Attorney Noble D. Walker has indicated he intends to seek the death penalty if Williams is convicted of capital murder.
Williams, 35, of San Marcos, has pleaded not guilty to an indictment with two counts of capital murder in connection with the 2016 slayings of Nichole Elizabeth Gonzales, 27, and her mother, Vicki Ann Gonzales, 51 at a residence just outside of Commerce.
Williams is being held in the Hunt County Detention Center in lieu of a total of $1.18 million bond.
A 911 call came in at around 1:20 p.m. June 17, 2016 from Vicki Gonzales, who was screaming for help and calling out Williams' name. The call came from a home in the 7300 block of State Highway 50.
The Commerce Police Department was the first agency on the scene and found the women had been slain. Williams' vehicle was found about three miles away from the home.
A search began for Williams with the assistance of the Commerce Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice K-9 search team.
At approximately 11 p.m. June 17, 2016 the Commerce Police Department received a call of a suspicious person in the 2700 block of State Highway 24/50, at the intersection of Live Oak Street. When contacted by officers, Williams allegedly gave officers his brother's name, but Williams' identification was found in his possession.
Williams was taken into custody without incident.
Williams worked as a long haul trucker for a Fort Worth company.
Mabel Jean Gonzales of Austin was indicted in June 2017 on one count of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence with the intent to impair. Gonzales pleaded guilty in April 2018 to a lesser charge of attempting to tamper with or fabricating evidence.
The attempting to tamper charge carries a maximum punishment upon conviction of from two to 10 years in prison and an optional fine of up to $10,000.
In a criminal complaint filed as part of court records, the Hunt County Sheriff's Office revealed Gonzales was Williams' girlfriend and alleged that after she visited Williams in the jail, Gonzales drove to a location near the murder scene and removed items from the site.
