Insets, from left: Monica Williams of the Memphis Police Department and Anitra West of Keeper Memorials. Background: the Church’s Chicken restaurant in Memphis, Tennessee, where Williams fatally shot West (WHBQ).
A Tennessee woman will spend 30 years in prison for killing a Church’s Chicken employee during a dispute over a refused payment for food.
Monica Williams, 47, was sentenced Friday for the murder of 48-year-old Anitra West in Memphis, according to the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office. Williams pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
The confrontation began shortly after 9 p.m. on July 8, 2024, when West was working the Church’s Chicken drive-thru. According to a probable cause affidavit, Williams became involved in a heated exchange with West after refusing to pay for her food.
At the time, Williams had purple hair and reportedly shouted at West, “I will kill you.”
Williams then drove away from the restaurant.
West stepped outside to cool down and called a friend. She had been speaking with her for several minutes when Williams returned to the parking lot.
“This same girl with the purple hair I just got into it with just pulled back up on the parking lot,” West told her friend.
The friend later told police that she heard one gunshot, followed by screams from other employees.
Officers arrived to find West with a gunshot wound to the head. She was taken to a hospital, where she later died.
Memphis police released images of the suspect and the vehicle involved. The vehicle’s owner then contacted authorities and said she had been with her 10-year-old son when Williams asked whether they were hungry.
Because they had Church’s Chicken coupons, the group went to the restaurant and placed two drive-thru orders. The woman said the employee “seemed to become upset,” prompting them to “skip” one order after the exchange grew tense. She told police the interaction became “heated,” but no physical confrontation occurred.
Williams drove the woman and her son home, saying she planned to stop at a store for chips. She later returned to the home without mentioning the shooting. The vehicle’s owner called police after seeing news reports about the killing.
Police arrested Williams and initially charged her with first-degree murder. She ultimately reached a plea agreement for second-degree murder.
Anthonette Stevens, West’s mother, told local NBC affiliate WMC that her daughter was deeply committed to her work.
“Her standards for working are being there, being on time, and doing what she needs to do,” Stevens told the station. “Being there for the customers and also her employees, she didn’t want to leave people in a lurch all the time. Working in food service is difficult, but she never seemed to tire of it, just kept doing it and doing it.”
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