Contact: Beth Stone: 508-584-8120
BROCKTON – A jury convicted a Berkley man on charges that he shot and killed a man in his Wareham home, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz announced today.
Today, after an 8-day trial, a jury deliberated 4 ½ hours before finding John Wittey (DOB: 11/01/45) of Berkley, guilty of First Degree Murder with Extreme Atrocity and Cruelty and with Deliberate Premeditation, Unlawful Possession of two firearms in his home, and Unlawful Possession of a Large Capacity Firearm or Feeding Device. Plymouth Superior Court Judge C.J. Moriarty sentenced Wittey to serve life without the possibility of parole.
In the late morning of February 9, 2016, Wareham Police received a 911 call from a person at 120 Glen Charlie Road reporting that they had discovered a friend unresponsive. Upon arrival, police found the victim, John E. Williams II (DOB: 04/13/45) deceased inside the home, in a pool of blood with obvious wounds to his body. Wareham Police immediately contacted State Police Detectives assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office and an investigation commenced.
That day, investigators began to focus in on Wittey as a suspect in the homicide, and he was arrested two days later. Over the following hours, days, and weeks, investigators gathered, preserved and tested possible ballistics, DNA, and other forensic evidence, executed search warrants, and reviewed electronic data. As part of their investigation, detectives determined that Wittey traveled to Mr. Williams’ home on Glen Charlie Road in Wareham three separate times on the night of February 8 and into the early morning of February 9, 2016. The Commonwealth proved that, shortly after midnight, Wittey entered Williams’ residence, cut him on the hand and arm, stabbed him in the torso, and shot him 10 times. Two handguns and multiple boxes of ammunition were found hidden in the Defendant’s house in Berkley. One of these weapons was positively matched to the crime scene at Glen Charlie Road, and the other was found to have the victim’s blood on it. State Police also seized clothing that Wittey was wearing that had the victim’s blood on it.
The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed that Mr. Williams’ death was a homicide caused by 10 gunshot wounds and sharp force injuries to the hands, arm, and torso.
“We are grateful to the jurors for their careful attention to every detail of this case over the past two weeks,” DA Cruz said. “The picture that the evidence told was that John Williams, a father and grandfather, was assassinated by John Wittey. This was a brutal crime in which the defendant stabbed and shot Mr. Williams with two separate guns. We are gratified that justice was served today, and hope that this verdict can give Mr. Williams’ family some peace.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Joseph Janezic, Nicole Caron, and Victim Witness Advocate Karen Fahy.
The case was investigated by State Police Detectives assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office and Wareham Police.