Thaddeus Wilson found guilty in 2022 murder of Holland father
ALLEGAN — After a two-week jury trial, Thaddeus Cortrez Wilson has been found guilty of murder in the June 2022 shooting of Joseph Roberts.
More: Holland family moved from Chicago to escape violence. Now they're mourning patriarch's homicide
Wilson, 39, of Holland, was found guilty of first degree premeditated murder, in addition to four counts of felony firearm, possession with intent to deliver cocaine, possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine, and felon in possession of a firearm.
His trial took place in Allegan County’s 48th Circuit Court. The jury delivered its verdict Tuesday, Jan. 23.
Wilson is scheduled for sentencing at 9 a.m. Monday, March 18. He faces life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, mandatory for first degree murder charges in Michigan.
Just after midnight on June 19, 2022, Wilson fatally shot Roberts, 36, multiple times at an apartment complex off Lincoln Avenue in Holland. Authorities say there was a verbal altercation between the men leading up to the shooting.
Court documents revealed Wilson was angry over a missing coat that contained $19,000 in cash. The coat was later found in Wilson's apartment.
Wilson was arrested in Illinois on Aug. 29, more than two months after the shooting.
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Roberts is survived by his wife, Bree Austin-Roberts, and three teenage children. Austin-Roberts told The Sentinel in 2022 the family moved to Holland from Chicago in 2011 to avoid acts of senseless gun violence.
Austin-Roberts told The Sentinel on Wednesday her family is ready to heal.
“My children and I have anticipated this trial for a year and a half, and now that it’s over, I definitely feel a huge sense of relief,” she wrote in a statement. “We sat in the courthouse from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. because I was not leaving until the jury reached a verdict. Justice has been served and I am so thankful for the detectives, U.S. Marshals, local police, and the amazing prosecuting attorney that has worked countless hours to bring this case to justice.
“It’s bittersweet because this does not bring my husband back, but it’s going to be the first step towards a long healing journey knowing that the defendant got what he deserves.”
— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Thaddeus Wilson found guilty in 2022 murder of Holland father
