Third person arrested in killing and carjacking of Whitehaven Rev. Autura Eason-Williams
A third person has been charged in the carjacking and killing of Whitehaven Rev. Autura Eason-Williams in the driveway of her home July 18.
Memphis police arrested 20-year-old Eduard Rodriguez Tabora on Tuesday. He is the third person charged in the crime, along with two 15-year-olds, all of whom have been charged with first-degree murder, first-degree murder during a robbery, especially aggravated robbery, and possession of a firearm during a dangerous felony.
The Commercial Appeal has not named either of the teens, as they are currently charged as juveniles. Prosecutors are seeking to charge them both as adults and they are next due in court Aug. 1.
Rodriguez Tabora is the first adult arrested in the investigation and is also charged with facilitation to commit first-degree murder. His arrest provides further details into Eason-Williams' final moments, as described by a police affidavit, including that six handgun bullet casings were found on scene.
Previous coverage: Teen charged with first-degree murder in death of Rev. Autura Eason-Williams, United Methodist pastor
Related: Memphis prosecutors seek to try second teen as adult in death of Rev. Autura Eason-Williams
"Investigators viewed video footage that showed Autura Eason-Williams drive her 2014 Infiniti Q50 into her driveway," the affidavit read. "The footage also showed the suspects following her in a Hyundai Veloster. The Veloster parked on the street and two masked male suspects got out of the Veloster and ran up to Eason-Williams' car. The suspect on the driver's side fired several shots into the Infiniti Q50 striking Eason-Williams several times. The suspect on the driver's side pulled Eason-Williams from her Infiniti Q50, got in the driver's seat and drove away from the scene."
New details from the affidavit also claim the Veloster, the car the group followed Eason-Williams in, was also stolen. The report does not name the shooter but said Rodriguez Tabora was on the passenger's side of her car.
He will appear in court July 28 for arraignment and is currently being held without bond.
A 16-year-old has also been charged as a juvenile with theft of property valued between $2,500-$10,000.
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.
In a press conference hosted by the children and cousin of Eason-Williams, in conjunction with the NAACP Memphis Branch, Tuesday, the family came out against charging the 15-year-olds as adults.
Ayanna Hampton, Eason-Williams' oldest daughter, said she had directly reached out to District Attorney General Amy Weirich, asking her to not charge the teens as adults.
"If I were to say 'Throw those children under the jail, charge them as adults, give them the death penalty, send them to jail forever,' I would not have learned anything from my mother in 31 years," Hampton said. "I see a lot of people talking about what justice is or what they would like to see. If it is not what my mom would want to see, then that's not justice."
After the conference, Weirich issued an emailed response to the family's wishes.
"I absolutely agree with the children who spoke today and we do need more community involvement and intervention in the lives of our youth and that is the best way to honor the legacy of Rev. Autura Eason-Williams," she said. "However, the young men accused of killing Rev. Eason Williams have been in the juvenile system before and are a danger and threat to the safety of our citizens and I will pursue trying them in adult court. Like in most families, there are differences of opinions. This is one of those cases. I must weigh all of their wishes but most important is the safety of our community and citizens."
Lucas Finton is a news reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com and followed on Twitter @LucasFinton.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Autura Eason-Williams: Third person arrested in killing and carjacking
