52-year-old Bunnell resident Jermaine Williams Sr. was arrested and charged with first degree murder in connection to a fatal stabbing in Bunnell on Friday. He’s accused of murdering his wife, 50-year-old Yolanda Williams.
The Bunnell Police Department released a statement in the aftermath of the killing detailing what information has been collected so far about what happened. Shortly after 8:00 am on Friday, BPD officers and deputies with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to 408 South Pine Street in Bunnell, where a stabbing reportedly occurred. Two FCSO deputies attempted to perform life-saving measures on the victim, but she ultimately succumbed to her multiple stab wounds.
Several witnesses provided statements to law enforcement describing what happened from their perspective. One individual said they heard screaming while walking near South Pine Street on the intersecting Dr. MLK Ave. Another witness, also walking by, said they saw two people in the road including the victim, who was screaming for help. They said they saw the stabbing occurring, before neighbors rushed over urging the perpetrator to stop. He was said to have uttered, “I’m tired of the sh*t” next to the dying victim.
Another witness said one of the neighbors, apparently Williams’ father, pointed a firearm at Williams ordering him to stop. The father confirmed this aspect, saying he threatened to shoot if Williams didn’t stop stabbing.
An eight-inch kitchen knife was recovered at the scene, believed to be the murder weapon. Emergency responders rushed Williams to AdventHealth just down the road in Palm Coast, where she was ultimately pronounced deceased. Meanwhile, Williams agreed to speak to law enforcement.
According to Williams, via the BPD’s account of his interview, the couple were fighting for weeks resulting in Williams sleeping out in his truck. He reportedly said he went inside the home Friday morning to try and repair the marriage so he could sleep inside again, which his wife apparently didn’t agree to. She walked outside to go to work, but was said to have had car troubles. Williams reportedly offered to drive her in, but she said she’d have a friend take her.
An argument ensued from the incident, the BPD, and Williams reportedly said his wife remarked, "poor Jermaine. Do you want me to play you a violin?" This, he was said to have described, struck a nerve with him and drove him to a greater degree of rage.
Williams reportedly said he remembered entering the home to retrieve the kitchen knife, before blacking out. From there, his wife apparently tried to take to the street to evade Williams, but the BPD said Williams recalled stabbing her multiple times. He wasn’t sure how many.
Previous legal troubles paint a picture of severe strife between Williams and his late wife. Williams was on probation from an incident in 2022 in which he was charged with aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and witness tampering. He was supposed to contact her only in writing. Two separate times Williams was booked at the county jail for these offenses, with no other criminal record in Flagler County before or after those instances. He is now once again being held at the jail, charged with first degree murder and violation of probation.
