ST. CLOUD, MN – Roberto Antwan Williams, 39, is facing a decade behind bars after a federal jury convicted him of possessing firearms as a convicted felon. The sentencing, handed down by U.S. District Judge Ann D. Montgomery, brings a degree of closure to a case steeped in violence and tragedy, but leaves lingering questions about a young life lost.
The case against Williams began to unfold on July 31, 2020, when he allegedly attempted to rob a man at gunpoint in St. Cloud. Police apprehended Williams in a vehicle identified by the victim, discovering a firearm in the glove box bearing his DNA. But the investigation took a horrific turn just months later.
On November 13, 2020, a five-year-old child was pronounced dead at a St. Cloud hospital from a gunshot wound. Williams, the child’s stepfather, and the child’s mother initially claimed they were shopping when they received the call about the injury. However, investigators quickly uncovered inconsistencies. Surveillance footage showed the mother rushing the child to the hospital alone, while Williams was seen on camera disposing of two backpacks into a garbage bin outside their home.
A search of those backpacks revealed a chilling cache: a semiautomatic rifle and a purple Taurus G2C 9mm pistol with an extended magazine. Disturbingly, the Taurus was found to have the deceased child’s blood on it. Adding to the grim evidence, Williams’ cell phone contained a photo of the same pistol accompanied by the text, “my new toy.”
Federal prosecutors successfully argued that Williams, with a history of felony convictions, was illegally in possession of these weapons. The jury found him guilty on two counts of possession of firearms as a felon on August 29, 2023. U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger announced the 120-month prison sentence, followed by three years of supervised release, yesterday.
The investigation was a collaborative effort between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the FBI, the St. Cloud Police Department, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. While the sentence addresses the illegal firearm possession, many questions remain surrounding the circumstances of the child’s death, and whether further charges will be filed related to that tragedy.
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