Ten-Year Cold Case Solved

Nearly ten years after Vernon Williams was killed during a drug deal gone bad, Broward Sheriff's Homicide detectives have cracked the case.

On June 16, 2000, Williams, 29, was at a Holiday Inn in Oakland Park with his cousin, David Joseph, Paul Parris and Parris' girlfriend, Raven Lillie. After a struggle and a shooting, Williams was dead, and Joseph, Parris and Lillie had fled the scene.

After noticing the room was registered to Parris, police caught up with him a month after the shooting. They found out that Parris was in a North Carolina jail for trafficking cocaine. Parris was later extradited to New York for a parole violation. BSO detectives tried to interview Parris regarding the shooting, but their request was denied.

In December 2000, detectives were able to track down the victim’s cousin in Antigua. Joseph told police that they were watching television in the room. Parris was seen talking to Lillie who afterward left the room. Then at gunpoint, Joseph and Williams were threatened and ordered to get on the ground. Parris told Williams to tie his cousin up with duct tape. Joseph stated that Williams began to tie him up but then began wrestling with Parris over the gun. Two shots were fired and Williams was hit. Joseph said Parris shot at him once before fleeing. Joseph ran into the lobby and called police before fleeing himself.

In January 2001, the investigation went cold where it stayed until February of this year. Police travelled to North Carolina to interview Parris who was jailed again -- this time for kidnapping. Parris claimed that Williams and Joseph, who were both armed, tried to rob him. He says he wrestled the gun away from Williams when a shot was fired, and Williams fell to the ground.

Two different stories left detectives exactly where they had been prior to speaking with Parris. Detectives decided to speak to Parris' girlfriend, Lillie, again. This time her story had changed. She admitted the story she had told police ten years ago was a lie to protect her then-boyfriend, Parris.

Now Lillie claimed that Parris went into the hotel room with a gun and a roll of duct tape. After the shooting he left the hotel room with the gun and the cocaine.