GASTONIA, N.C. — A jury has found a man guilty of murdering his girlfriend in a Gastonia motel in 2020.
On the morning of June 30, Zkevis Jarta Kamal Williams went to the front desk of the motel and said he shot a woman in one of the rooms.
Whitney Denise Petway, 27, was then found dead inside the motel.
Williams, 25, was charged with first-degree murder in connection with the incident. He claimed it as an act of self-defense.
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Police said Williams was previously charged with resisting arrest and assault on a female in an incident involving Petway on June 4.
Williams was accused of pulling Petway by the hair down the hallway of a different hotel.
While those charges were still pending, Williams was released from jail 12 hours later after posting bail.
He was ordered to stay away from Petway but weeks later, they ended up together again.
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