Inset: Terry Jefferson (Milwaukee County Sheriff”s Office). Background: Highland Court apartments in Milwaukee, Wis. (Google Maps).
A Wisconsin man who fatally shot his friend several times while the pair were helping him move has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term.
Terry Jefferson, 35, was sentenced to life in prison on Oct. 8 after a jury convicted him of first-degree intentional homicide. According to a criminal complaint reviewed by Law&Crime, Jefferson was moving into a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, apartment on Feb. 26, 2025, with help from his friend, Charles Williams. Shortly before 5 p.m., police were called to the building after reports of gunfire.
Officers found Williams lying in a puddle of blood and “in obvious pain.” Jefferson was standing several feet away holding a gun, which police ordered him to drop.
Jefferson followed the officers’ commands and was taken into custody. Williams was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
An apartment manager told detectives that he heard one gunshot before looking down the hallway toward the unit Jefferson was moving into. He saw Williams on the floor, while Jefferson claimed Williams had “shot himself” and “tried to grab my gun.”
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The manager returned to his apartment and called 911. He then heard six or seven additional shots fired “in rapid succession.”
Jefferson told police he had been carrying his gun in the pocket of his hooded sweatshirt. He said Williams was helping him move, and that the two men were using a shopping cart to unload belongings from Jefferson’s car before taking them upstairs in an elevator.
Jefferson said Williams was “very close to him” inside the elevator and began “grabbing for stuff.” Jefferson claimed he believed Williams was reaching for the gun, so he fired, striking Williams in the face. After seeing Williams bleed, Jefferson said he moved the cart to keep the blood off his belongings.
As Williams struggled with the facial gunshot wound, Jefferson said he attempted to clear a jammed firearm while telling him to “chill out.” Jefferson again claimed Williams reached for the gun, then fired several more rounds until the weapon was empty.
The jury rejected Jefferson’s self-defense claim.
Jefferson will be eligible for parole after serving 35 years. If released, he will remain under extended supervision.
