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The ‘illegal’ exhumation denounces the fake-accident murder

AmericaAfter nearly 4 years of deadlocked investigation, the police found the culprit and asked the forensic doctor to “break the fence”, despite the consequences when illegally exhuming the victim’s body to find evidence.

Sharon Williams, 43, is known by the community of St. Charles, Missouri, is known for his sincere demeanor and willingness to help others. She has been married for 25 years to husband James Williams and has two sons, James Jr., 23, and Brett, 19.

On October 19, 1983, on her way to a church service just a few kilometers from her home, Sharon was involved in a serious car accident. The next day, doctors told her husband Sharon that her brain was irreparably damaged. James agrees to withdraw life support equipment for his wife.

Investigators looked for slips and other signs of trouble, but found nothing. According to investigators, Sharon’s 1982 Cadillac suddenly plunged into a steep ditch by the side of the road.

They also found that the absence of any injuries on Sharon’s face was not consistent with the situation where the car was going down, instead, her serious injury was to the back of her head. The unusual conflict led the police to consider the possibility of other causes.

Days after the crash, investigators used a dummy and a car model similar to the one Sharon had driven to reconstruct the crash. It was found that Sharon’s death was due to an accidental head injury and no autopsy was performed.

Some time after Sharon’s death, James received a $100,000 life insurance payout from his wife’s death and remarried.

In 1986, Dr. Mary Case became the chief medical examiner for the St. Louis. An officer who was involved in the investigation of Sharon’s accident shared lingering doubts about her death. Mary reviewed the report and determined that there was indeed something suspicious about Sharon’s fatal wound on the back of the head. She suggested exhuming the body for an autopsy.

When the request is denied, Mary makes a bold choice that could result in fines or jail time. She decided that the value of the excavation was worth it for her to carry out without the judge’s permission.

Brett, Sharon’s son, does not want his mother’s body exhumed, but changes his mind after learning it is necessary.

An autopsy on April 1, 1987 revealed that Sharon had been hit very hard in the back of the head twice with a blunt metal object. Mary determined the cause of Sharon’s death was murder, the case was reopened.

Nearly four years after Sharon’s death, the police started the investigation from scratch. When questioning friends and neighbors of the victim’s family, witnesses said they suspected James had an affair with Joann Noteis, his second wife.

Police also received information on December 27, 1983, just two months after Sharon’s death, Joann’s husband – singer with the stage name Walter Scott – was missing. Walter left home to change the car battery and never returned. His car was found at St. Louis.

At that time, Joann told police that she received a call from an auto mechanic saying her husband had not been to the shop. Joann said there is no rush to notify the police immediately because Walter is an itinerant musician who may unexpectedly perform somewhere in the St. Louis.

However, investigators made two unexpected discoveries. Immediately after Walter’s disappearance, Joann went to clubs where her husband was scheduled to perform and canceled on his behalf, while before that she said she did not know where her husband was. In addition, family members recounted that James was with Joann shortly after her husband went missing. In 1985, Joann filed for divorce on the grounds that Walter abandoned her and married James in 1986.

From the above clues, the police questioned Joann. She admitted to having an affair with James a year before Sharon’s death.

The police suspect that the two are related to Walter’s disappearance but need to find the victim’s body to bring a murder charge.





James Williams was arrested.  Photo: Oxygen

James Williams was arrested. Image: Oxygen

Investigators turned to James Jr., Sharon’s eldest son, for useful information. At this point, James Jr. being detained in Florida. The police offered him information in exchange for a lenient sentence.

When asked how his father could dispose of the body, James Jr. recounts that in the spring of 1984, he saw his father covering a water tank in the backyard with a very heavy flower bed.

With Brett’s consent, police searched the house and discovered a body in a water tank. The body was later identified as Walter through dental records. Doctor Mary’s autopsy results show that Walter was shot in the back.

The police had convincing evidence, but in order to bring it to court, Mary had to get permission to excavate Sharon a second time. Sharon’s sons lobbied to get approval, Mary got a license to perform an autopsy, and it turned out that Sharon was murdered.

James is accused of murdering his wife and Walter. Prosecutors allege he beat his wife and staged the crash, then shot Walter in the back. James was found guilty on both counts of murder and sentenced to life in prison in 1992. In 2011, he died of cancer at the age of 72.

Joann pleaded guilty to obstructing prosecution and was sentenced to five years in prison; was released in April 1998.

Tue Anh (Follow Oxygen, Nydailynews)

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