Man Killed a Mother and Her Teen Son — and Left an 8-Year-Old Alone in the House with Their Bodies

A Georgia man has been convicted of murdering his girlfriend and her teenage son before attempting to flee the country.

William Jerome Adams, 29, was found guilty of two counts of felony murder and two counts of aggravated assault for the March 2021 killings of 39-year-old Mary Lindsay and her 15-year-old son, Atif Muhammad Jr.

Adams received two life sentences without the possibility of parole, according to a press release from the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office issued on Friday, August 1.

“The verdict and sentence are fitting for a defendant who violently took the life of a mother and son and stole from them,” District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said. “We mourn with the victims’ family and hope that the outcome of the trial gives them some closure and justice.”

The case surfaced on March 26, 2021, after Lindsay’s 19-year-old daughter went to check on her mother, who had not been heard from in several days. She entered the home in Flowery Branch by crawling through a window and found both her mother and brother dead inside a locked bedroom.

She also discovered her 8-year-old brother sleeping in their mother’s room. The child had been alone in the house for two days and was unaware of what had happened.

Shell casings found at the scene led investigators to determine that the murders occurred on March 24. Adams was arrested the following day in Laredo, Texas, after attempting to cross into Mexico using a false name and without a passport.

Authorities also revealed that Adams had stolen $2,000 from Lindsay’s bank account.

During the trial, Muhammad’s twin sister testified that ten days before the killings, she and her siblings found a handgun in their mother’s room and took a photo of it. When they asked Lindsay about it, she told them the weapon belonged to Adams.

Jurors were also shown a photo that Lindsay had emailed to herself, which depicted an injury to her arm that was allegedly caused by Adams.