A Johnson County jury recently found an Iowa City man not guilty of a murder charge after he claimed he was acting in self-defense.
Antavis Watson, 45, was found not guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and three counts of assault tied to the 2025 shooting death of 38-year-old Elijah Williams.
According to court documents, Watson argued that he was justified in using force in self-defense.
Watson remains in jail after pleading guilty to two related charges for illegal possession of a firearm by a felon.
The Jury trial began on April 14 and concluded with a not guilty verdict on Wednesday, April 28. Watson’s lawyers initially motioned for an acquittal on April 23, but the prosecutors resisted. The jury deliberated for nearly two days before reaching a not guilty verdict.
Watson and Williams knew each other prior to shooting
Williams, 38, was shot and killed shortly before midnight on March 30, 2025, in the 1800 block of South Gilbert Street in Iowa City.
Iowa City Police Officers said they arrived on scene and found a light-colored 2006 Lexus RX 330 with “numerous bullet holes” and broken windows, with two people inside, according to court documents. Police say they found Williams “slowly breathing” in the driver’s seat with a gunshot wound to his head. He was later pronounced dead at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics.
The other person in the car, Mindy Colwell, testified during the trial. She told officers she was Williams’ girlfriend, and Watson was her ex-boyfriend. Officers say they recovered a handgun inside the vehicle on the floor of the driver’s side, where Williams was found.
Police believed Watson “(knew) the victim,” and cell phone data from Williams’ phone “indicate(s) that the defendant and the victim were feuding.” Surveillance footage, according to court documents, shows Watson approaching the vehicle before the shooting.
Officers found shell casings inside the Lexus as well as outside the vehicle on the ground near the passenger’s side window.
Watson’s attempted murder charge, tied to Colwell’s presence in the vehicle, was dismissed.
Prosecutors couldn’t prove who fired first shot
The Cedar Rapids Gazette reported that prosecutors, after a two-week trial, could not prove that Williams didn’t fire the first shot.
Watson remains in jail for his two firearm charges on a $10,000 bond. His sentencing is set for July 24.
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Jury finds 45-year-old Iowa City man not guilty of 2025 murder charge
Reporting by Press-Citizen Staff Report, Iowa City Press-Citizen / Ames Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
