Suspect in Columbus Circle K clerk’s killing to face trial after Alabama prison time
The man charged four years ago with killing a Columbus Circle K clerk during a robbery is finally facing trial here after serving time in Alabama.
Daequavian Trevell Soloman, 29, was booked into the Muscogee County Jail at 6:52 p.m. Tuesday, according to jail records.
He faces multiple charges in the fatal shooting on Sept. 23, 2019, of 26-year-old Dontrell Dwayne Williams during an early morning robbery.
Detectives served warrants on Soloman in November 2019 when he was being held in Russell County on robbery charges.
He later was convicted on two counts of robbery and one of having stolen property, and was sentenced in April 2020 to 12 years in prison, according to corrections records.
He was given credit for time served, and was denied parole in January 2021, records show.
Prosecutors here sought Soloman’s extradition upon learning his time was up, in Alabama, said acting District Attorney Don Kelly, who’s holding the job while DA Stacey Jackson is away on medical leave.
Soloman already has been indicted, and next will be arraigned in January in Muscogee Superior Court, Kelly said.
The trial could be as soon as the Spring, but that will depend on the time the defense attorney needs to prepare, he said.
Here are Soloman’s charges:
Malice or deliberate murder
Felony murder for killing Williams while committing another felony
Aggravated assault, two counts.
Attempting a felony
Using a firearm to commit a crime.
He faces life in prison if convicted.
High-profile case
Williams’ homicide attracted widespread attention in 2019, because police said he was shot with no provocation, and he could not have identified the robber, who was fully masked.
Authorities trying quickly to identify a suspect sent the store video to the media, and it was widely distributed.
It showed the robber wearing a Halloween mask, a gray camouflage hooded sweatshirt, and a reflective vest.
Shot multiple times, Williams was rushed to Piedmont Columbus Regional, where he was pronounced dead at 3:33 a.m., according to Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan.
In the years since, his family and friends faithfully have held tributes to his memory, to ensure his death was not forgotten.
In 2021, a record year for homicides in Columbus, his mother Tanya Weaver hosted a gathering at the Circle K, where supporters played music and released balloons at sunset.
She said her son served four years in the Army, and is buried at the Fort Mitchell National Cemetery in Alabama.
His parents later moved to Byron, Georgia, and he could have followed, but chose to return to Columbus, after the Army, she said:
“He said, ‘That’s where I became a man at and that’s where I’m going to move to.’”
He took a night job so he could go to school during the day, she said.
Losing her son drove Weaver to form a charity to aid other victims’ families, called Moms Against Gun Violence.
