Background: The housing projects in Chattanooga, Tenn. where Michael Williams was attacked by Marvin Jermane Davis in 2020 (Google Maps). Inset: Marvin Jermane Davis (Hamilton County Sheriff”s Office).
A Tennessee man was sentenced to prison time years after he fatally shot and beat a man in a crime prosecutors called “really disgusting, actually.”
Marvin Jermane Davis, 51, was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon more than five years after he shot and beat 32-year-old Michael Williams. Williams died four months after the incident as a result of the injuries Davis had inflicted upon him.
According to courtroom reporting by the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Assistant District Attorney Jason Demastus told the court that surveillance video captured the whole crime, saying, “[T]he victim, by the video, appeared to be disabled, unable to move his legs, was crawling around grasping at the defendant, and the defendant just continued striking him with the barrel of the gun. There was no hesitation. He kept firing until he achieved the result that he wanted.”
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Davis’ defense attorney, Dan Ripper, told the court that while the video evidence from the Jan. 3, 2020 incident may be damning, this was a “one-off” event despite Davis’ long criminal history. Ripper seemingly went as far as blaming Williams for creating the “circumstances” that set Davis up to commit the violent act, saying, “I don’t think Mr. Davis set out here to violate the laws. You have a circumstance where the victim — not saying the victim caused it — but provided circumstances under which it could happen.”
Ripper further said that Davis had been provoked by Williams and acted out of fear, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
During the trial, Demastus described the case as “really disgusting, actually.” After the verdict was delivered, he maintained that the video evidence showed that Davis’ crime against Williams was premeditated.
The jury found Davis guilty of involuntary manslaughter but acquitted him of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to a total of 18 years in prison — six years for voluntary manslaughter and 12 years for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, plus credit for time served.
