Antone Williams, formerly of Pawtucket, was found guilty today, March 17, 2011, by a Providence County Superior Court of assault with a dangerous weapon, commission of a crime of violence with a firearm, carrying a pistol without a license and firing in a crowded area (P2-2009-2368AG). The jury’s verdict concluded a three day trial presided over by Superior Court Justice Robert D. Krause.
During the afternoon of March 4, 2008, Antone Williams approached Wilmer Borrome, w ho was sitting in a parked car in the area of Clay and Broad Streets in Central Falls, and shot him once in the chest and once in the back with a .32 caliber revolver. Williams fled the scene in a white SUV driven by another individual. After the shooting, Williams hid the gun in the bedroom of an acquaintance, who was also an occupant of the white SUV during the shooting. After Williams left the residence, the driver of the SUV contacted the Central Falls Police to report the crime.
After concluding the investigation, Central Falls Police issued a warrant for the arrest of Williams, although it was a year later before he was captured on February 26, 2009. Williams was out on bail for the Barrome shooting when he fled the first day of the scheduled trial in Superior Court in November 2009.
Williams was re-captured in February 2010 by Central Falls and State Police, at which time he was remanded to the Department of Corrections.
This was not the first time Williams had been involved with the criminal justice system. He previously pled to prior firearm charges for which he received a ten year suspended sentence. Williams also faces other firearm charges for an incident not related to the Borrome shooting.
The penalty for assault with a deadly weapon carries a maximum penalty of 20 years; commission of a crime of violence with a firearm carries a maximum penalty of 10 years with no suspension or deferment of the sentence. Carrying a pistol without a license carries a maximum penalty of 10 years and firing in a crowded area is a misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of one year.
The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant Attorney Jim Baum on behalf of the Office of the Attorney General. Lt. Steven Bradley of the Central Falls Police Department was the lead investigator in the case.
Williams will remain in custody at the ACI pending sentencing.