By DIANE M. MOORE
UPDATE
William Shane Parker was found guilty on Tuesday, March 22, of the 2020 murder of Raul Ambriz Guillen.
Parker was charged with second degree murder with a firearm and tampering with evidence. He was found guilty on both charges.
Chief Circuit Judge Christopher Patterson handed down a sentence late Tuesday afternoon. For the second degree murder with a firearm, Parker received a life sentence without the possibility of parole. As to the second charge of tampering with evidence a five year term to run consecutive was given.
Check back Wednesday for the full story.
BONIFAY – Opening arguments began Monday in the trial for the last of three people charged in the July 2020 homicide of Raul Ambriz Guillen.
William Shane Parker was charged last year by the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office with second degree murder with a firearm and tampering with evidence. An six-member jury was selected at the Holmes County courthouse with trial proceedings beginning immediately after with Chief Circuit Judge Christopher Patterson presiding.
Parker was arrested in August 2020, along with co-defendants Jeremie Odell Peters and Lauren Kay Wambles, after HCSO’s investigation led them to Peters’ 1101 Highway 171 residence, where 51-year-old Guillen was last seen. Investigators obtained search warrants at two homes on Highway 171, including Peters’, and evidence pertaining to the homicide was discovered at both locations. Ultimately, Bay County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue cadaver dogs led investigators to a grave site off Kirkland Road in northeastern Holmes County. The site was excavated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and Guillen’s body was recovered and positively identified. According to investigators, Guillen is believed to have been killed sometime over the July 4 holiday in 2020, with his remains not being discovered until the end of August 2020.
State Prosecutor Peter Overstreet told the jury during opening arguments that the evidence show Parker to be guilty. “Evidence in this can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Parker had pulled the trigger and murdered Guillen,” said Overstreet. “It will also prove that Parker had ill will, hatred and spite in his heart when he shot Raul Guillen.”
Public Defender Derek Blount urged jurors to “listen intently” to testimony and to the confession they are expected to hear in Tuesday’s proceedings. “You will hear a lot of statements given during testimony,” he said. “I want you to pay attention to who says what and how they say it. You will hear a ‘confession’ recording tomorrow. Listen to how that plays out. My client has maintained his innocence throughout every appearance here in this courtroom. You will find that he is innocent when this is over.”
After opening arguments, the prosecution called six witnesses to the stand. The first of those witnesses was the victim’s daughter, Rosa Ambriz, followed by Wambles. Wambles told the court she witnessed Parker with the gun and saw Guillen fall to the ground. “Raul was shooting off fireworks, and Shane walked up behind him and pointed the gun at his head,” she said. “I ran over beside the truck, covered my ears, and closed my eyes because I don’t like loud noises. They scare me. When I opened my eyes, I saw Raul fall backwards to the ground.”
Four more witnesses, including investigators and crime scene analysts took the stand before Patterson adjourned for the day. Proceedings will begin again at 9 a.m. Tuesday, with the state expected to call three more witnesses before resting their case.
Both Peters and Wambles have been sentenced in the case. Peters received 15 years for being an accessory after the fact, followed by another five years for his involvement in a conspiracy to tamper with a key witness in the case. Wambles was sentenced to serve a ten-year prison sentence in the Florida Department of Corrections, followed by five years of probation.
Holmes County Times-Advertiser will continue trial coverage throughout the week and update court events online at holmescounty.news
Staff Report