AUBURN — A local man who strangled his girlfriend with an electrical cord until she lost consciousness was sentenced Tuesday to spend four years in prison.

Mack Williams Jr., 31, of 712 Washington St. North pleaded guilty in Androscoggin County Superior Court to two counts of aggravated assault.

Williams negotiated the plea with prosecutors for a 10-year sentence for the assault on his girlfriend, Jill Weisman, with six years suspended. For an assault on Christopher Spence, the man who came to Weisman’s aid and with whom Williams shared an apartment, Williams was given a five-year sentence with all of that time suspended. The sentences, which are to be served consecutively, each carry three-year terms of probation. That means Williams will be on probation for six years following his release from prison.

If Williams were to violate the conditions of his probation, he could be sent back to prison to serve the suspended portion of both sentences, which would total 11 more years.

During his sentencing Tuesday morning, Justice MaryGay Kennedy asked whether Williams took any medications that might be impairing his ability to understand the proceedings. She recessed court long enough to learn which medications he had been prescribed and which he had been taking.

Williams wept openly as he answered Kennedy’s questions, sometimes staring at the courtroom ceiling for long periods.

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Two weeks ago, Williams was in court to plead guilty but apparently changed his mind.

This time, Kennedy was careful to make sure he consented to all aspects of the plea and agreed to the sentence, neither of which he is allowed to appeal to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.

Weisman spoke to Kennedy in the courtroom on Tuesday, telling the judge she remained afraid of her ex-boyfriend despite his incarceration. Weisman sought assurances from Kennedy that Williams wouldn’t try to contact her nor have any of his friends or family members contact her when he is released from prison.

Kennedy said the terms of Williams’ probation include no direct nor indirect contact with Weisman or Spencer. He is also barred from drinking alcohol, using illegal drugs or having any weapons, including guns. He must submit to evaluations for substance abuse and mental health. He must also participate in domestic violence counseling, Kennedy said.

Weisman told Kennedy she “personally” didn’t think Williams’ sentence was long enough but later said it was sufficient.

Assistant District Attorney Lisa Bogue said police hadn’t been able to find any of the letters from Williams to his friends or family that Weisman referred to in which he reportedly said he would find her after his release.

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Kennedy told Williams that he would be violating the terms of his probation if he were to write such letters.

Bogue outlined for Kennedy the case she would have presented had the case gone to trial.

She said Weisman and Spence would have testified, along with Spence’s girlfriend and police.

Bogue said Weisman would have said at trial that she and Williams had an argument on March 22 and she left their apartment. When she returned, she started packing to leave because she felt unsafe living with Williams. He came into the room, grabbed her and threw her across the room, then grabbed a space heater. That’s when she lost consciousness.

Weisman would have said at trial that she regained consciousness to see Spence trying to pull Williams off her. She would say she remembered Williams telling Spence to stay out of it or he would kill him, too. Williams smashed a toy guitar against her leg several times when Spence came in the room again.

Bogue said Spence would testify that he could hear Williams and Weisman arguing in their bedroom where Williams had said he was going to kill Weisman. After entering the bedroom, Spence saw Williams strangling Weisman with the heater’s electrical cord. When Spence told Williams to stop, Williams threatened to kill him also.

Spence would say he dragged Williams into the living room where they continued to fight. Williams returned to Weisman and beat her leg with a plastic guitar then turned to Spence and hit him with it. Williams picked up a plastic lawn chair and hit Spence with it before fleeing the apartment, Spence would have said at trial.

Prosecutors dismissed charges of attempted murder and terrorizing.

cwilliams@sunjournal.com


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