Tuscaloosa man pleads guilty to fatally stabbing ex-wife after he got out of prison over small loan

A Tuscaloosa man has pleaded guilty to the 2020 murder of his ex-wife in west Alabama. 

Travis Terrell Williams, 41, faced capital murder charges in the death of 49-year-old Maronda Parker Williams. This week, he pleaded guilty to two counts of murder, and Circuit Judge Sam Junkin sentenced him to two consecutive life sentences.

District Attorney Andy Hamlin, representing Alabama’s 24th Judicial Circuit, expressed satisfaction with the outcome, stating, “I am pleased we were able to obtain justice for Ms. Williams and her loved ones without putting them through an emotional and difficult jury trial. My sincere hope is that he spends the rest of his life behind bars.”

Parker Williams was found dead in her home on Alabama Highway 19 East outside Fayette on January 21, 2020, two days after Williams visited her. According to charging documents, she had been stabbed in what authorities described as a brutal attack. 

Williams had recently been released from prison when he went to his ex-wife’s home on January 19, 2020, seeking a loan. After she offered $50 less than the $250 he requested, he became violent. 

Investigators found multiple injuries on Parker Williams and recovered two bloody knives from a trash can outside her home. Evidence indicated that Williams broke a window and staged the scene to resemble a burglary. He also discarded his ex-wife’s phone, wallet, and shoes at a gas station on Highway 43 North while returning to Tuscaloosa.

“Travis Williams has a long history of violence, and our community is safer with him behind bars,” Hamlin noted. “This case highlights the importance of supporting victims of domestic violence and holding perpetrators accountable.”

The investigation was carried out by the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, the Alabama State Bureau of Investigation, and the District Attorney’s Criminal Investigation Division.