On Tuesday, William Wilson has sentenced to 10 years in prison in Georgia for killing a white teen on the highway which he claims were self-defense.
William Wilson Case
On June 14, 2020, Wilson, a biracial Black man who was 21 years old at the time of the shooting, fired his legally-owned handgun at a pickup truck full of white teens who, in his account, were shouting racist slurs at him and attempting to run him and his white girlfriend off the road near Statesboro, Georgia.
Haley Hutcheson, 17, was murdered by one of those gunshots after she was hit while sitting in the truck’s rear seat.
In Bulloch County Superior Court, a jury found Wilson guilty of felony-level involuntary manslaughter late last month after an emotional seven-day trial. Wilson was cleared of the other charges, including felony murder, which could have resulted in a life term in jail.
On Tuesday, Judge Ronnie Thompson sentenced Willison to 10 years in prison. Georgia felony manslaughter conviction carries a penalty of one to 10 years.
Wilson used legal self-defense in accordance with the state’s “stand your ground” legislation, according to the defense. The prosecution argues that Wilson did not need to fire his gun.
It was unclear right away if Wilson’s lawyers will challenge the judgment with an appeal.
