Teen charged with first-degree murder in death of Rev. Autura Eason-Williams, United Methodist pastor

One teenager has been charged with first-degree murder and another with theft of property in relation to a carjacking in Whitehaven that left a United Methodist Church pastor and regional leader dead.

Memphis Police said a 15-year old boy is charged with first-degree murder, murder in the perpetration of a robbery, especially aggravated robbery, carjacking, and employment of a firearm during a dangerous felony.

The 15-year-old was arrested Tuesday along with a 16-year-old, who faces a charge of theft of property valued between $2,500-$10,000.

The arrests stem from the death Monday of the Rev. Autura Eason-Williams, a well-known local pastor and regional leader in the United Methodist Church. Eason-Williams was shot and killed in Whitehaven on Monday in what police believe was a carjacking.

A 17-year-old questioned about the incident was released without charges Tuesday night, police said.

On Facebook, Jody Hill, president of Memphis Theological Seminary, recalled Eason-Williams as "a wife, mother, and a devoted friend to many."

"We are devastated to share that Rev. Dr. Autura Eason-Williams was shot and killed (Monday) afternoon," Hill wrote.

Eason-Williams was the district superintendent of the Metro District in the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Annual Conference, the pastor of Capleville United Methodist Church, and a Memphis Theological Seminary alumna, he wrote.

"She led Formation classes at (Memphis Theological Seminary) and Signposts groups for the Center for Faith and Imagination," Hill wrote.

"We join so many of you in shock and pain. Autura was a real light and a well of deep care. Personally, I saw in her the spiritual gift of hospitality. Autura was eager to embrace all of God’s children with a warm smile, gentle hug, or encouraging word. We grieve her loss and this senseless violence."

Memphis Theological Seminary held a chapel prayer service in her memory that was  broadcast on Facebook on Tuesday morning.

One person who attended that prayer service was Rev. Keith Norman, pastor of First Baptist Church-Broad Avenue.

He said Eason-Williams had remarkable success in rising to a leadership role as a Black woman within the United Methodist Church, which is majority white.

He said he'd met her in the 1990s, when he was setting up a community computer lab at a church where she was working. "We remained friends from that day, until now. She also was my formation teacher at Memphis Theological Seminary," he recalled.

Norman remembered her strict response when he was late to class one day.  "And she said to me, 'Mr. Norman, if you think you're going to be late coming into my class, maybe you should take another class.'"

"And I laughed at that, because I'm like, 'This is my friend treating me this way."

Norman said the incident illustrated a key element of their friendship — she was a strong woman who constantly challenged him.

"And when I took on additional responsibilities in the city, whether it was politically as a consultant, whether it was the chairman of the Democratic Party, the NAACP presidency, or my work at Baptist Hospital, (she) was always my friend who said to me, 'Don't let the things that are calling you distract you from what you are called to do.'"

" . . . She said no matter what all of these other things do, no matter where they take you, no matter where they place you, only what you do for Christ will last."

He recalled how she had assigned him to read a book of essays. One of the essays told the story of woman whose son was killed in the street.

"And the blood of her son was in the street. And the woman and the community stopped traffic, so that she could go out and clean up his blood because she did not want cars driving through it."

Norman said he thought of that story now.

"And when I heard that she had been killed, and there was blood on the earth, I prayed that this community will stop and allow the sacredness of her blood to speak to us from the earth, and that we will do something to preserve the sacredness of her dying.

"So that we don't continue to live in such violence and normalize it, that these things can happen. And we not pause to be angry, and to find a way to come together and fix this plight that is taking over our living space."

Bishop remembers Rev. Eason-Williams

In the United Methodist Church, bishops appoint district superintendents to oversee the pastors and local churches in a geographical area, church news service UM News reported in an article. "District superintendents serve on a bishop’s cabinet, offering advice on such matters as pastoral appointments. Eason-Williams had served as the new conference’s Metro District superintendent since July 1, 2021," the article says.

UM News also reported she was 52 years old and was the wife of Darrell Eason-Williams and mother to four children: Ayanna, John, Terence and Gwendolyn.

Bill McAllily is bishop of the Nashville Episcopal Area of the United Methodist Church, an area that includes the Memphis and Tennessee Conferences that cover middle and west Tennessee and western Kentucky.

"Autura was uniquely gifted for mission and ministry," the bishop wrote on his web site Tuesday. 

"She navigated a cross-racial appointment as an early pioneer in that work in the legacy Memphis Conference. Her peers elected her to lead the clergy delegation to General Conference and endorsed her as a candidate for Bishop prior to the anticipated 2020 General Conference.

"During the Global Pandemic, I invited Autura to join the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Appointive Cabinet. She was in the process of becoming one of our most gifted District Superintendents and was tackling some of our most difficult challenges.

"Two of the ministries Autura was leading for the Tennessee Western Kentucky Conference were the Signposts Seminars, engaging the work of systemic racism in our conference, and #BeUMC Campaign, an effort to highlight the positive aspects of being the United Methodist Church.

"More than these very tangible efforts, however, was Autura’s ministry of encouragement, especially to female clergy.

"Autura, we will miss your laugh, your leadership, your love, your faithfulness, and your generous spirit. You modeled for us the words of Micah: 'and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?' Micah 6:8.  We give thanks to God for the ways you led and loved us well."

Police chief speaks on the slaying

The Memphis Police Department posted on Twitter that police had responded to a shooting on Whitehaven Lane at 4:15 p.m. on Monday and that the victim was transported to a hospital.

After the news conference, Davis, the police chief, described the pastor as someone who was very active in the community and had worked hard with police to improve public safety.

“For her to be a victim of such a heinous crime, I thought this would be a great opportunity to really call not just our community leaders but also our clergy to action — how do we work together in our communities and expand our reach beyond the Memphis police department to help change our neighborhoods, help be more proactive … with our young people?" Davis said. "Because the sad part is that even though we have a person that has lost their life, we’ve got three more children who are going to jail.”

Davis said the same pattern holds true in other violent crimes, furthering the harm to the community: people are injured or killed, other people are jailed.

Police asked anyone with information to call 528-2274.

Liam Adams, religion reporter for The Tennessean, contributed to this article. 

Investigative reporter Daniel Connolly welcomes tips and comments from the public. Reach him at 529-5296, daniel.connolly@commercialappeal.com, or on Twitter at @danielconnolly.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Rev. Autura Eason-Williams, United Methodist pastor, slain in Memphis