The man accused of killing his roommate with a baseball bat earlier this week pleaded not guilty Wednesday afternoon.
Andrew Williamson, 46, of 149 Winn Ave., is facing murder and tampering with physical evidence charges after his roommate Joseph Jones died Monday night from multiple blunt force injuries to his head. An autopsy confirmed those injuries and uncovered nothing else, Winchester Police Capt. James Hall said.
Detectives are still waiting on toxicology results, but those could take six to eight weeks to complete, he said.
During his arraignment Wednesday in Clark District Court, Williamson asked what kind of sentence he could receive if he pleaded guilty. Clark District Judge Brandy Oliver Brown said they could not resolve the case that day, that there was a process to follow and that he should take those questions to his attorney.
Brown did appoint a public defender to represent Williamson in the case.
A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Sept. 26 in Clark District Court. Williamson’s bond was set at $500,000 cash.
If Williamson is ultimately convicted, he could receive a sentence between 20 years and life in prison. Williamson was arrested early Tuesday morning after he admitted killing Jones to police. He said the two had a verbal argument late Monday night. Following that, Williamson said he went into his room, got a baseball bat and returned to the front porch where Jones wa sitting. He told police he hit Jones in the head several times, according to court documents. Williamson said he used a tarp to move the body to the rear of the building where his truck was parked.
Winchester Police were notified around 11:30 p.m. Monday and arrived to find Williamson and the body behind Williamson’s truck.
Police said Williamson has only lived in Winchester for a couple months. Hall said there were no previous reports of problems between the two men.
Williamson is lodged in the Clark County Detention Center.
Contact Fred Petke at fpetke@winchestersun.com.
