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.

 

[Unalienable Rights]

Likely DNA profile of man accused of killing missing Tyler woman found at her apartment

TYLER, Texas — Forensic scientists on Friday revealed a likely DNA profile matching a Tatum man accused of killing a Tyler woman was found on a sheet in her apartment.Jesse

www.mytexasdaily.com

TYLER, Texas — Forensic scientists on Friday revealed a likely DNA profile matching a Tatum man accused of killing a Tyler woman was found on a sheet in her apartment.

Jesse Lee Williams is charged with murder in the death of Paula Belonga, 51, who was last seen in April 2023. On Friday, detectives and DNA scientists testified about items found in her apartment and vehicle as well as a necklace found on a rural Rusk County road.

*****

 

[PommyMommy]

SEP 27, 2024

Likely DNA profile of man accused of killing missing Tyler woman found at her apartment

Jesse Williams was arrested after officials obtained evidence allegedly pointing to his involvement in Paula Belonga’s disappearance last year.

www.cbs19.tv

Officials say there are numerous photos in which Belonga can be seen wearing a necklace identical to the one that was found.

A Tyler Police Department detective testified that she and other investigators found the necklace along the CR 4148 area in Rusk County. The detective said a standard black glove was found in the general area near the necklace.

Detective claims potential blood stains found in victim’s car in Tatum man’s murder trial

Friday marks day four of trial for a Tatum man accused of murdering a Tyler woman in 2023.

www.kltv.com

Testimony from Jon Stone, a former crime scene investigator with the Tyler Police Department:

• Several items were left in the apartment, including Paula’s passport, medications, and a toothbrush.
• Items collected for DNA analysis included a pair of pants found in a hamper. The pants were soaking wet while the rest of the clothes were dry. The pants had dirt on them.
• Another item was a bed sheet found in a trash bag in the closet.
• “Immediately there was a pretty strong odor, so we knew we were taking that to the lab” said Stone.

 

[PommyMommy]

SEP 30, 2024

Over 200 deleted texts revealed at trial for Tatum man accused of murder

It is now the second week of the trial of Jesse Williams of Tatum, who is charged with murder in the disappearance of Paula Belonga of Tyler.

www.kltv.com

Investigator Dennis Matthews with the Tyler Police Department’s digital forensics unit conducted an extraction of Williams’ iPhone.

Mathews testified that at first glance, there were several texts between Belonga and Williams, all in April of 2023.

Matthews said he went into the phone’s recently deleted messages, which revealed 219 additional texts between the two dating back to December of 2022.

Data from phone of Tatum man accused of killing Tyler woman reveals 200 deleted messages, suspicious Google searches

Monday was the fifth day of testimony in the trial for Jesse Lee Williams, who is charged with murder in the disappearance of Paula Belonga, 51.

www.cbs19.tv

Williams’ phone had an app that allows a person to send messages as if they're coming from someone else's phone number.

In the app, a detective texted the number believing it was connected to Belonga. The app on Williams' phone said to leave Williams alone and that Belonga paid him to watch her dog. Calls from that detective also went to the number associated with the app and none were answered.

 

[PommyMommy]

OCT 1, 2024

Brother of missing Tyler woman testifies in Tatum man’s murder trial

It is now day six of the trial of Jesse Williams of Tatum, who is charged with murder in the disappearance of Paula Belonga of Tyler.

www.kltv.com

Baldinell first called Tyler Police for a well check on his sister on Easter Sunday of 2023. He said his mother got a text in the middle of the night from Paula asking for $500, which he said was unusual. Belonga was supposed to pick up her son in Lake Charles for Easter and never showed up.

Detective James Holt with the Tyler Police Department presented videos showing the movement of Williams’ and Belonga’s phones. Holt testified the phones left Tyler together on the afternoon of April 7 and headed east on Highway 64.

Brother of missing Tyler woman testifies in trial of her presumed murder

Jesse Lee Williams is charged with murder in the disappearance of Paula Belonga, 51. He pleaded not guilty to the charge last week.

www.cbs19.tv

He said communication was frequent among family members, but all speaking with her family stopped on April 7, 2023. ...

He recalled that she went through hard times and had suicidal ideation in Louisiana. After going to the hospital, she was diagnosed as bipolar and prescribed medication. However, she was doing well after getting the help she needed. Baldinell testified that he never heard of Williams.

 

[PommyMommy]

OCT 2, 2024

Both sides rest in day 7 of Tatum man’s murder trial

Detectives asked Williams about suspicious internet searches found on his phone after Paula Belonga went missing.

www.kltv.com

• Detective Chamberlain with the Tyler PD was back on the stand for the state.
• The jury viewed William’s full interview with detectives in Tyler.
• They asked Williams about internet searches found on his phone.
• He claimed “how long does it take for a body to decompose in hot weather” was related to a TikTok.
• CashApp records for Williams were also displayed.
• Chamberlain testified that Williams was sending money using Belong Paula’s debit card. One denied transaction was for $3,000 on April 7.
• Closing arguments are set to begin Thursday morning.

 

[J-Kat]

Jury took all of 20 minutes to find this creep guilty this morning. The judge sentenced hm to life. Bye, bye and good riddence.

 

[PommyMommy]

OCT 3, 2024

Tatum man convicted of murdering missing Tyler woman gets life in prison

Jesse Lee Williams was convicted of murdering Paula Belonga, 51, who was last seen on April 7, 2023 leaving her apartment complex on Paluxy Drive.

www.cbs19.tv

Smith County Assistant District Attorney Kasey Sirianni had asked for the jury to give Williams a life sentence, citing his 20 past convictions over the past 23 years. She called Williams a thief, liar and now by the jury's verdict, a murderer.

No amount of years is going to bring Belonga back, but maybe Belonga's story can save someone else, Sirianni said.

Tatum man convicted of murdering Tyler woman gets life sentence

A jury has found Jesse Williams, of Tatum, guilty of murder in the disappearance of Paula Belonga, of Tyler.

www.kltv.com

The jury returned a guilty verdict just after 11 a.m. and returned a life sentence around 2:15 p.m.

Sentencing deliberations began just before 2 p.m., and a life sentence was returned within 20 minutes.