Asheville man charged with murder after woman dies from assault injuries
An Asheville man is charged with murder after allegedly assaulting a woman June 23, according to a June 26 news release from the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.
Cherokee patrol deputies originally responded to reports of a hit-and-run near the intersection of U.S. 19 and Snap-On Drive in Murphy, in the far western part of Western North Carolina. Arriving on scene in the late-night hours of June 23, deputies found Lena Shook Thompson, 52, formerly of Asheville, with life-threatening injuries and called Cherokee County Emergency Medical Services, according to the news release. The emergency medical personal attempted to stabilize Thompson, who was then transported to Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital in Murphy, where she died due to her injuries June 24.
After the Cherokee deputies took a closer look, they concluded the victim’s injuries were the result of an assault and charged Patrick Ryan Williams, 29, with murder. Williams was taken into custody shortly after midnight June 24 and is being held at the Cherokee County Detention Center with no bond.
“There was zero evidence on scene to support that Thompson had been hit by a vehicle, and Thompson’s wounds were inconsistent with being hit by a vehicle,” said Penny Ray, the attorney for the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. “During the course of the investigation, deputies found the alleged weapon used to assault Thompson.”
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Thompson, born in Blairsville, Georgia, was a lifelong resident of Union County and member of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, according to her online obituary. She had three children. She could play "just about any kind of music you could imagine," enjoyed making natural oils and lotions out of herbs and flowers, and loved camping in the woods, according to her mother, Rita Patterson Shook. In fact, Thompson had been camping when the assault happened, according to Shook.
“She was camping in a little ravine type thing that went downhill and it was just passed Walmart,” Shook said. “It was out there where she camped on the side of the road that takes you to Andrews from Murphy that it happened.”
Was Williams stalking the victim?
Ray stated the sheriff’s office does not know the nature of the relationship between Williams and Thompson and said the department will not be releasing further updates on the case at this time. However, Shook said the two met back in March when one day Thompson was walking to her campsite from work and Williams started following her.
“He told her that the minute he saw her he knew that’s the person he wanted for the rest of his life, and he wanted to marry her," Shook told the Citizen Times June 28. "She called me many times and told me she was scared because he was stalking her and wouldn’t leave her alone.”
Shook said Williams would stand outside her daughter's work all day, even if she worked for eight hours. And on the night of the assault, he "beat her to death" with what the police report called a blunt object, according to Shook.
“She had a great, great love for people, and she always stood up for the underdog," Shook told the Citizen Times June 28. Shook attributed this to why her daughter never filed a restraining order, because she had a soft spot for people who were different. "She would go to somebody who’s in need or somebody who's having problems and help them before she would anyone else. She was a free spirit; she could not stand to be bound and she could not stand being cornered.”
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“We appreciate the Cherokee County Emergency Medical Services, Cherokee County Dispatch and all others involved in helping to resolve this incident,” said Sheriff Dustin Smith of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office in the news release.
Williams had an initial court date on June 28, in which the judge signed a form for Williams to request a capital defender through the Indigent Defense Services because he is unable to afford his own lawyer, according to Laura Adams, assistant clerk at the Cherokee County Clerk of Superior Court.
Williams’ next court date is set for July 19 in Cherokee County District Court, unless he is indicted. If that happens, Williams’ case will move to Superior Court, according to Adams.
Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. News tips? Email Ryley at rober@gannett.com. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville man faces murder charge after woman dies from assault injury
