Man found not guilty of attempted murder to be released on home confinement

Mar. 27—PRINCETON — A Mercer County man who was charged in January 2019 with attempted murder after opening fire on people and injuring one person who attempted to help him, but was later found not criminally responsible due to his mental condition, is now waiting on arrangements for home confinement.

Terrance Williams, current age unavailable, appeared Friday by teleconference for a status hearing before Circuit Court Judge William Sadler.

Williams was arrested on Jan. 2, 2019 after he entered an Albemarle Street home in Bluefield after 9 p.m. and started firing a 9-mm semi-automatic handgun. One shot grazed a man's neck, according to Detective-Sergeant K.L. Adams of the Bluefield Police Department. The men at the scene were "hanging out," and there was no apparent provocation or drug activity.

Several of the men managed to knock down Williams and fled, but he followed them into an alley, then onto Wythe Avenue and started shooting again, Adams said then. One of the people being pursued got a firearm and fired back, hitting Williams. One of the shots entered him at one armpit, went through his chest and exited through the other.

Williams collapsed and a neighbor who heard the shooting came outside, saw him on the ground and tried to help him, Adams said. Williams then shot him, hitting his abdomen and face. He was treated at Bluefield Regional Medical Center and later listed in stable condition. Williams was transported to Roanoke Memorial Hospital and discharged a few weeks later.

Charges filed against Williams included attempted murder, malicious wounding and several counts of wanton endangerment. During a hearing in December 2019, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Adam Wolfe told the court that Williams had had previous run-ins with law enforcement and a history of mental problems. Williams was later found competent to stand trial after a stay at a psychiatric facility, and was found not to be criminally responsible, according to previous reports in the Bluefield Daily Telegraph.

During a hearing on Aug. 17, 2020, Williams was found not guilty on all counts by mental illness, according to records at the Mercer County Circuit Clerk's Office.

At the hearing for Williams on Friday, the court determined that he could be released "under very specific conditions," according to court records. The state, represented by Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Lauren Lynch, did not object provided that Williams have no contact with the victims. Attorney Ryan Flanigan, who represented Williams at the hearing, did not object to this condition.

Judge Sadler ordered that Williams be placed on home confinement and follow requirements including regular drug testing and no firearms in the home. Other requirements include taking medication, keeping appointments with a doctor and review hearings every 90 days, according to court records. The prosecutor's office was to prepare orders to transport Williams to Mercer County within a week from William R. Sharp Jr. Hospital in Weston.

— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com