Family still grieving loss of Williams

For some people on campus, today is just another day. They will wake up, fix breakfast and maybe call a loved one before entering the hustle and bustle of the world. But, for the Williams family, Sept. 23 will never be the same.

A year ago today, the University community awoke to reports that one of their own had been murdered.

LSA senior Tamara Sonya Williams was stabbed to death on Sept. 23,1997, by her boyfriend Kevin Nelson. Nelson was fatally shot by a Department of Public Safety officer when he refused to release his knife.

Williams' grandmother, Jeanette Hart, said the family has been coping with the tragedy.

"It's hard, but we are coming along," Hart said. "I am a very religious person and through church, a lot of friends and the help of God, the family has stuck together."

"You never get over it, but you learn to live with it," she said.

Laconda Williams, Tamara Williams' older sister, said she has been able to handle the death of her sister better than she expected.

"My sisters and I are really close and they help me get through it," she said.

Hart added that she had realized a few days earlier that the anniversary of Tamara's death was approaching.

"We haven't planned any vigils for that day," Hart said. "We plan to take flowers to the cemetery and have dinner at my house."

Yvonne Williams, Tamara's mother, now has custody of Tamara's three-year-old daughter Kiera Williams.

Hart said Kiera Williams is the primary reason the family has stuck so close together. The family wants her to have a normal life.

"We have a lot of love and are raising an adjusted little girl," Hart said.

Hart added that Kiera Williams is attending school and is aware that "her mommy is in heaven." Once in awhile she even mentions her late mother. Kiera had a dream that her mother was going to buy her a Barbie car, Hart said.

Tamara Williams was a hard working, 20-year-old student who planned to attend law school after graduation. She was raising her two-year-old daughter, tutoring sixth-graders in the evenings and taking classes at the time of her death.

Tamara Williams, Nelson and Kiera Williams were living in University housing at Northwood V. Their neighbors, other Northwood residents, heard screaming and finally gunshots a little after midnight on that fateful Tuesday.

Both Williams and Nelson died in surgery early that morning.

Williams murder affected many people in the University community. It marked the first time a DPS officer fired a gun at someone in the line of duty. After the murder, critical-incident debriefing counselors were brought into DPS.

DPS Director Leo Heatley said DPS training has not changed since last year as a result of the incident.

"We reviewed all of the policies and procedures, and I am satisfied with them," Heatley said.

Heatley said he is satisfied with how DPS officers respond to violent incidents.

For the past year, University Housing administrators have tried to help the Northwood community cope with the murder.

"The aftermath of death was traumatic for the family housing community," said Alan Levy, director of housing affairs. "It was one of the most horrendous things people had to deal with."

Most of the residents who lived by Williams have remained in the Northwood community.

Kayo Blackwood, a Northwood resident since August 1997, said she is still "carrying the murder" with her.

"I felt like this did not happen in daily life. I thought it only happened in the movies," Blackwood said.

The loss of Tamara Williams was not just a case of a University student being killed, it acknowledged a fact that many are afraid to talk about - that domestic violence does exists on college campuses.

According to the recent survey on domestic violence released by the FBI, in 1990, 30 percent of women who were murdered were killed by husbands or boyfriends. The report also states that 22 percent of college students are victims of domestic violence, as are 10 percent of high school students.

Sarah Hueser, training and education program coordinator for the Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center, said there are many misconceptions on campus about domestic violence. She said there is a myth that it only happens in lower-class families.

"Domestic violence happens everywhere," Hueser said. "No community is immune. The University is struggling to incorporate what awareness of domestic violence means to their own life."

Hartford said it is hard to keep the community aware because every year the University community population rises 25 percent.

Susan Kaufman, associate director for the University's Center for the Education of Women agrees with Hueser.

"Domestic violence in a college community is just like domestic violence in any other community," she said. "We want people to know that the community cares and help is available. People are working hard to eliminate violence against women."

Although there are many places for women and men to receive shelter from an abusive mate, FBI reports state that only 18 percent of abused women file police reports. The majority of the victims are afraid of retaliation from the abuser.

In 1995, Tamara Williams did report Nelson's physical abuse to the police and he was found guilty of domestic violence. Williams grandmother said she was not aware her granddaughter was in an abusive relationship.

"I have always told my children to be aware of who your friends are and to always talk to me," Hart said. "We should be able to communicate."

Hart said that while raising six girls, she insisted on meeting "every young man" who dated her daughters. Hart also said she had only had one brief encounter with Nelson.

"I hope she did not die in vain," Hart said. "I hope that because of it somebody will be aware of what can happen if you get mixed up with the wrong people. No family should have to go through this."

Hart said that the day after her granddaughter's funeral, she had a talk with all of her grandchildren and great grandchildren.

"I told them never let it get out of hand," Hart said. "We just don't want to go through this again. It's the saddest thing in life."

Matthew Green, a community aide for Northwood V, is raising a 4-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son with his wife. He said he is already preparing his children in how to handle tough societal issues such as this one.

Green said he talks to his 9-year old about sex, violence and the difference between right and wrong as a child and human being.

"Anything open in society, I talk about becaus e he needs to be aware," Green said.

Green's 4-year-old daughter is too young to remember the murder last year, but he says that he has started to "instill in her a tremendous amount of self esteem and pride."

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