Gwinnett County man convicted for killing sleeping mother while cleaning gun
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - A Duluth man has been sentenced to jail for the fatal shooting of his next-door neighbor, 36-year-old Carlether Foley, after his handgun discharged through a shared apartment wall.
Maxwell Mathews Williamson, 25, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct, both misdemeanors, for the Sept. 25, 2021, incident. A Gwinnett County judge sentenced Williamson to eight months in jail followed by one year and four months of probation.
Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson condemned Williamson's actions, emphasizing the devastating consequences of his negligence. "This defendant’s reckless actions left a teenaged son without his mother and the teen’s grandmother without her only daughter," Austin-Gatson said. "Gun owners must handle and store weapons responsibly. There must be accountability when innocent victims are harmed."
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Williamson told police he had been cleaning his handgun in his ground-floor apartment when it accidentally fired. The bullet passed through his bedroom wall into Foley’s apartment, striking her in the head as she lay in bed.
During the trial, prosecutors revealed that Williamson left a note on Foley’s apartment door before fleeing the scene. He did not contact the authorities. Foley’s 17-year-old son returned home to find his mother deceased and called emergency responders.
"When the judge gave the verdict. Yes, I did start crying," said Jacquline Foley, Carlether Foley's mother. "It wasn't crying because of something good. It was crying because I felt like you just slapped me and my family in the face of losing my daughter that was moving on with her life, that was doing great things in her life, that came to Atlanta to pursue her dream."
The case was prosecuted by Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney John Williams and Assistant District Attorney Bradley McMahon, with support from Victim Witness Advocate Sara Gardner and DA’s Investigator Jeff Lamphier. The initial investigation was led by Gwinnett County Police Detective A.M. Carter.