An abusive lodger who took the life of his landlady attempted to mislead the authorities by presenting a misleading piece of evidence.

James Hicks, 63, tried to convince police that his landlady, Terri Jo Williams, had taken her own life. To support this claim, he handed over an old suicide note, written years before, following the death of her two-year-old son.

Terri Jo Williams, 65, had been in the midst of legal proceedings to evict Hicks from her home in Florida.

On the day she died, Hicks was scheduled to face trial for assaulting her. Hicks claimed that he had found Williams, who was a grandmother, drowned in a fountain outside their shared bungalow in Pensacola.

However, Hicks’ story fell apart in court.

A pathologist revealed that Williams had no water in her lungs, indicating she hadn’t drowned.

Instead, she had been severely beaten before being asphyxiated. Hicks was sentenced to life in prison following this revelation.

The Disturbing Discovery

Police were alerted to Williams’ death by a neighbor’s 911 call.

They discovered her body face down in a small water feature near her front door. Hicks directed officers to her car, where they found alcohol and a single pill.

An autopsy showed that Williams had been murdered by asphyxiation, with additional injuries including broken ribs and bruises.

A Deceptive Note

A week after Williams’ death, Hicks presented a ‘suicide note’ he claimed to have found in the laundry room of the home.

The note was incomplete, missing a crucial part that had been torn off.

Investigators later found this missing section, which revealed a reference to her deceased son, proving the note was old and not related to her death.

The True Story

Williams had met Hicks during their time working at Publix supermarket and had invited him to rent a room in her home.

Despite Hicks’ claim that they were in regular contact, Williams had been trying to evict him and had documented a series of assaults in her journal.

Final Moments

Neighbors had frequently heard arguments between Williams and Hicks and described him as abusive.

The medical examiner’s report detailed the severe injuries Williams sustained, including bruising and fractured ribs, suggesting she was physically restrained and asphyxiated.