A late-night argument between roommates ended with one facing murder charges for allegedly beating the other to death with a baseball bat.
Police were called to the apartments at 149 Winn Ave. around 11:30 p.m. Monday for a domestic dispute and assault. They arrived to find 46-year-old Andrew Williamson standing behind his pickup truck in the parking lot and the body of 54-year-old Joseph Jones lying on the ground.
“During questioning, Mr. Williamson said he had been in a verbal altercation,” Winchester Police Capt. James Hall said this morning. “Things got heated and he struck (Jones) several times with a baseball bat.”
Hall said he is not sure what prompted the initial argument, but said Williamson was new to Winchester and was Jones’ roommate. Williamson told police that after the initial argument, he went in his room and got the bat. He returned to the front porch, where Jones was sitting, and hit him in the head several times with the bat.
Hall said there were no direct eyewitnesses, but other residents had information that corroborated Williamson’s story. Police also recovered the bat after executing a search warrant, he said.
Williamson also was charged with tampering with physical evidence for allegedly moving Jones’ body. In the arrest citation, police alleged that Williamson used a tarp to move the body to the rear of the building where Williamson’s truck was parked. Williamson told police he was trying to place the body in the back of the truck.
Williamson has no prior criminal history in Clark County, but Hall said he has an extensive out-of-state criminal background. Hall said the police department had no records of any prior problems between Williamson and Jones.
At this point, neither drugs nor alcohol are suspected to be involved in the incident, Hall said. Jones’ autopsy is scheduled for today, he said.
Williamson was arrested at 2:25 a.m. today and was lodged in the Clark County Detention Center. A bond has not been set yet, according to court officials.
Contact Fred Petke at fpetke@winchestersun.com.
