Mom of murdered college student wishes killer ‘love, family and a purpose’ at Brooklyn sentencing

A heartbroken mom of an Indiana college student killed by a gang-banger’s stray bullet on a Brooklyn street looked her son’s killer in the eyes at his sentencing, then wished him a lifetime of “love, family, and a purpose” once his 18-year prison sentence is over.

“You will carry Ethan’s name with you and this act for the rest of your life,” Susan Williams, the mother of murder victim Ethan Williams, told William Freeman Thursday as she read from her impact statement. “If there’s any meaning made from Ethan’s murder, it was only going to come from your life, William. So I ask you to continue taking accountability, do no further harm in this world and fully understand the humanity of others,”

“I hope you have a life outside these prison walls, William, and that one day that may include love, family and a purpose,” she added before Freeman, 30, was sentenced to 18-years in prison for the Oct. 24, 2020, killing.

In March, Freeman pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter for causing Ethan’s death. Prosecutors arranged the plea deal with the family’s blessing, Susan Williams, 52, told the Daily News.

Williams and her family flew in from Indiana to attend the sentencing. Supreme Court Justice Deepa Ambekar gave Freeman five years’ post-release supervision in addition to the 18 years in prison.

During the sentencing, Freeman turned toward the gallery, looked Susan in the eye and apologized.

“They actually moved his chair so he could sit and face us. He told me he was sorry. He took accountability. He said he would take it back if he could,” she told The News. “I really believe he was remorseful. I believe it. I don’t doubt it. It didn’t feel like a show.”

“I feel like there’s nothing proportional to losing my child in a violent act, so no one really won, if that makes sense,” the mother said. “I don’t know that I have closure, because he’s my kid, and he’s never going to be here moving forward. But I feel like it’s a relief not to have to anticipate these heavy emotional days.”

Reading from her impact statement, Susan Williams told Freeman “At the time of Ethan’s murder, you boys were both in your 20s and you both had so much potential, and now, because of your actions, we both live with loss.”

“I have some peace that you have chosen to acknowledge what you have done, so I want to thank you for that, and that you would take it all back if you could. I also know that’s not possible,” she added.

Freeman, she recalled, broke down in tears as she explained how she believed redemption was possible for him.

Freeman visibly cried as the victim’s father, along with the slain youth’s longtime girlfriend and younger brother, gave statements, too, the mother said.

Williams, an avid skateboarder and aspiring filmmaker, was visiting New York City from Indiana with a group of friends to explore different skateparks, which were emptier than usual because of the pandemic. It was his first time visiting the city.

He was sitting with friends on the stoop of their Airbnb on Eldert St. near Bushwick Ave. in Bushwick around 2:30 a.m. when Freeman, mistakenly believing someone in Williams’ group was responsible for killing his cousin a few weeks earlier, opened fire on them. Williams was struck in the chest and died at Wyckoff Medical Center.

Freeman fled the scene and wasn’t arrested until Nov. 3, 2022, when a car he was riding in was stopped by police.

Law enforcement sources said the killing was retaliation for the gang-related murder of Freeman’s cousin, Elijah Mims, who was gunned down Aug. 30, 2020, as he sat inside a Mercedes-Benz by a block party on Madison St. in Bushwick.

A gang called TBO was believed to be involved in Mims’ murder. Freeman is a member of TBO’s rival, the Cash Money Brothers, cops said.

“Ethan Williams was a bright, compassionate college student visiting our city to do what he loved when his life was stolen in an act of horrific, unprovoked gun violence,” District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement Thursday. “Today’s sentence holds the defendant responsible for this truly senseless killing, and my thoughts are with Ethan’s family and friends as they continue to mourn this devastating loss.”

Williams was studying film at Indiana University and wanted to make documentaries. His family said he was a star at Franklin Central High School in his hometown, Indianapolis.

“He was not just a body on a stoop at an Airbnb, he was our kid,” his mother said. “He was 20 years old, he had a lot of promise.”

Williams earned high grades, tested well, and lettered in two sports. He mounted a campaign on behalf of LGBTQ students that led the school to restructure its club system, and served on a youth leadership council set up by Indianapolis’ mayor.

Williams’ father previously told the Daily News his son was deeply concerned about gun violence and hoped to use his film studies background to help underserved communities and reduce the crime he had witnessed growing up in Indianapolis.

In the nearly six years since his death, his mother said their family has transformed as they focus on keeping his legacy alive.

In Indianapolis a skatepark that was partially funded by famed skateboarder Tony Hawk, was named in Williams’ honor, she said.

The family has also raised money to build a library in Williams’ honor at a school in Rwanda, the native country of his adopted sister, Ella.

“Ethan was a very kind and loving kid, and we just keep that spirit alive,” his mom said. “There’s a lot of legacy and purpose in what we do.”

Williams’ younger brother, Aidan, who was only 16 when the shooting happened, has decided to be an educator in hopes of steering young people like Freeman away from choosing violence, his mother said.

Williams’ sister, Ella, who was 14 at the time, just graduated high school, plans to study political science in college and is considering pursuing law one day.