Man sentenced to life in prison for murder

Lee E. Williams, 27, of Kansas City, Kan., was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 25 years for first-degree murder.

The case was tried by District Attorney Jerome A. Gorman to a Wyandotte County jury that found Williams guilty on May 26.

Williams fired seven shots at Tysha Carvin from a semi-automatic handgun at point blank range in Carvin’s home on Sept. 4, 2014, as she was on her living room floor, according to the district attorney’s office. Carvin was struck three times.

Williams also was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a handgun. He was prohibited from possessing the handgun because he was previously convicted of robbery.

The jury deliberated an hour and a half before they found Williams guilty as charged of both counts. Williams received a 20-month sentence for the felon in possession of a gun charge, and it was ordered to run consecutive to the sentence for murder.

Carvin was the father of Williams’ 2-year-old son, authorities said. Williams shot Carvin in their son’s presence, the district attorney’s office stated. Almost immediately after the murder, Williams boarded a bus and left Kansas City for Canada. He was arrested in Detroit, Mich., by Homeland Security officials on Sept. 6, 2013, while trying to enter Canada using a false identification.

Williams also had his 44-month probation revoked for a previous drug conviction in Wyandotte County. The murder sentence was ordered to run consecutively to the drug sentence.

The case was prosecuted by District Attorney Jerome A. Gorman and Assistant District Attorney Alan Fogleman and investigated by the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department.