An Alabama man accused of murdering a young girl from Georgia appeared at his first court hearing in the case today, a day after his arrest.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, 5-year-old Kamarie Holland was last seen around Bowman Street in Columbus, Georgia, on Monday morning. Police labeled Kamarie as “critically missing” but no further details were released.
On Tuesday, police confirmed that the child was found deceased at a home in Phenix, Alabama, where suspect Jeremy Tremaine Williams once lived. Fox 5 reports that Williams landed on police radar early on in the investigation. He’s now behind bars in connection with Kamarie’s death.
During the court appearance Tuesday afternoon at the Russell Courthouse in Phenix, Williams appeared to have uncontrollable twitching and shaking at times, ABC 9 reports. He also announced to Judge David Johnson that he didn’t want an attorney.
Williams is currently facing a capital murder charge but according to Russell County Sheriff Heath Taylor, he’ll also be charged with rape and kidnapping. Taylor added that Kamarie appeared to have been sexually assaulted before she was asphyxiated, but the official cause of death is pending.
Taylor added that Williams has been involved in numerous other child abuse cases and even another death investigation. In 2009, he was accused of abusing children while in Phenix but was acquitted three years later by a jury. A child abuse case out of Columbus then occurred, but the status of that case remains unclear.
Williams was also a suspect in connection with the death of a 1-year-old baby in Alaska. The charge against him was eventually dropped due to a lack of evidence.
Police said that Williams and Kamarie’s mother knew each other, but they were not dating. The mother reported Kamarie missing Monday morning at around 5:00 a.m., after noticing her front door open.
Investigators zeroed in on Williams shortly after and found him hiding at the Bamboo Hotel in Phenix City.
Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo via Columbus, Ga. PD]
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