A 15-year-old boy and 21-year-old man are facing murder and robbery charges in connection with the death of a beloved pastor who was fatally shot in her driveway last summer while allegedly being carjacked, authorities in Tennessee said.
Miguel Andrade, 15, and Eduard Rodriguez-Tabora, 21, were indicted by a grand jury this week on two counts of first-degree murder and especially aggravated robbery after the death of Rev. Dr. Autura Eason-Williams on July 18, 2022, according to a press release from the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office.
The D.A.’s office said Andrade will be tried as an adult.
According to the Associated Press, Eason-Williams died at the hospital on July 18, 2022, after being found with gunshot wounds in her driveway. The deadly broad-daylight attack was reportedly captured on video.
Eason-Williams was the superintendent of the United Methodist Church’s Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference’s Metro District, according to her Facebook profile. She was also a pastor at Capleville United Methodist Church and studied ministry at Wesley Theological Seminary, the profile shows.
Andrade was apparently wearing an ankle monitor at the time of the killing, ABC 24 reports.
The D.A’s office requested a $1 million bond for Rodriguez-Tabora at his preliminary hearing last October, which was granted, the release states. At the transfer hearing for Andrade, prosecutors asked for a $600,000 bond. The court instead set the bond for $200,000.
Andrade posted bond, while Rodriguez-Tabora remains in custody. A court date has not been set as of Feb. 28.
Another teenager was also charged in connection with the shooting and pleaded guilty in juvenile court, according to ABC 24.
It was not immediately clear if the suspects had attorneys.
Eason-Williams was remembered as someone who “cared for everyone” and was “passionate about justice for all people,” Birgitte French, a senior pastor at Colonial United Methodist Church, told ABC 24.
According to her obituary, Eason-Williams is survived by her husband, two daughters, two sons and many other loved ones.
