TX TX - Paula Belonga, 51, Tyler, last seen leaving her apt, may have been headed toward Chapel Hill, 7 Apr 2023 *arrest*

[PommyMommy]

SEP 13, 2024

Trial date set for Tatum man accused of murdering Tyler woman

A man charged with murder in the disappearance of a Tyler woman appeared in court on Friday.

www.kltv.com

• Jesse Williams appeared in court on Friday.
• His trial has been set for Sept. 23.
• He remains in jail with bond set at $750,000.
• Paula's body has not been found.

 

[PommyMommy]

SEP 24, 2024

Trial begins for Tatum man accused of murdering Tyler woman

Trial proceedings began Tuesday for a Tatum man accused of murdering a Tyler woman in 2023.

www.kltv.com

The state says phone records show Williams searching for “body found Rusk County” and “how to silence a gun.” The state first called the Tyler Police officer who responded to the missing persons call. That 911 call from Belonga’s brother was played for the jury.

Man accused of killing missing Tyler woman pleads not guilty, defense suggests prosecutors lack evidence against him

Jesse Lee Williams is charged with murder in connection with the death of Paula Belonga, 51, who went missing in April 2023.

www.cbs19.tv

Mikkelsen said the state will present cell phone geolocation data showing the path that Belonga's cell phone took on April 7, 2023.

Mikkelsen said Belonga's phone left Tyler, went through Henderson and then reached Tatum at the trailer park where Williams lives. The phone then moved down to Zavalla where her car was later found and the phone stayed there until around 3 a.m. Data shows that Williams' phone took the same path as Belonga's phone.

 

[PommyMommy]

SEP 25, 2024

Police interviews, body cam shown during trial of man accused of killing Tyler woman

The trial for Jesse Lee Williams, who is charged with murder for the death of Paula Belonga, 51, began Tuesday. He pleaded not guilty to the charge.

www.cbs19.tv

(Lengthy article with a lot of new information)

Jurors on Wednesday heard from a Tatum man accused of killing a Tyler woman in his own words through body cam video and police interviews shown in court.

Without being asked, Williams mentioned he had a knife that had hog blood on it in his vehicle. He said he knew police would go into his vehicle and find the knife. Williams said he didn’t say it was or was not Belonga’s blood. He became argumentative with deputies when he was questioned about the knife.

Ex-girlfriend, investigator testify on abuse in Tatum man’s murder trial

It is day two of trial for a Tatum man accused of murdering a Tyler woman in 2023.

www.kltv.com

The state went into detail regarding the two’s prior relationship. The woman testified regarding a fight over her truck title. She said Williams choked her and assaulted her and her daughter. This incident occurred on March 31, 2023, eleven days before Belonga’s disappearance.

Photos of their injuries taken by responding deputies were shown to the jury.

 

[PommyMommy]

SEP 26, 2024

Phone records, neighbor's testimonies reveal inconsistencies from man accused of killing Tyler woman

During the third day of trial, phone records and testimony from Paula Belonga’s neighbors revealed inaccuracies of what Jesse Williams told law enforcement.

www.cbs19.tv

Police learned the texts that seemed to be coming from Belonga's phone were actually coming from an app, which they learned was connected to Williams' phone. But Williams also denied this.

Freeman emphasized that Williams and Belonga's phones were together, and Freeman encouraged Williams to stop the lies.

Murder trial for Tatum man reveals interview inconsistencies, detective says

It is day three of a trial for a Tatum man accused of murdering a Tyler woman in 2023.

www.kltv.com

The entirety of the morning was spent on Williams’s interview with police when he was in jail in Rusk County. Williams denied knowing where Belonga was several times throughout the interview, which lasted over two hours.

Freeman said that phone data showed Williams at Belonga’s apartment all day on April 7. He originally told police he only went to Paula’s on the tenth. He then added he visited a friend who lived in Paula’s complex that night.