TYLER, Texas — Cell phone records and testimony from a missing Tyler woman’s neighbors on Thursday revealed inconsistencies in the stories told by a Tatum man accused of killing her.
The trial for Jesse Lee Williams, who is charged with murder in the death of Paula Belonga, 51, began Tuesday. He pleaded not guilty to the charge.
During the third day of trial, phone location records and testimony from Belonga’s neighbors revealed inaccuracies of what Williams told law enforcement.
Williams was arrested after officials obtained evidence allegedly pointing to his involvement in Belonga’s disappearance last year. Belonga was last seen on April 7, 2023 leaving her apartment complex on Paluxy Drive in her Chevrolet Impala. She hasn’t been heard from since.
In a police interview, Williams said if he knew where Belonga was, he would tell the officers. He said Belonga wrote him a check to pay for dog food to watch her pet and take care of her house and gave him $200 in cash.
Williams claimed on Friday, April 7, he sat around the house, and Belonga called him to ask what he was up to.
One of the officers said Williams' phone was shown to be at Belonga's apartment most of Friday, April 7, 2023, but Williams denied this. He said he was in Tyler to visit a friend, Kel Miller, who was Belonga’s neighbor.
Williams said Belonga was headed toward Lafayette, Louisiana to pick up her son and then she was going to Mexico. Williams claimed he just knew that Belonga was still alive somewhere.
Tyler Police Department Sgt. James Freeman told Williams that both his and Belonga's cell phone records show they left the same place and traveled on the same road together. Freeman said in the interview the records don't match what Williams said happened.
Freeman told Williams that he believes Belonga is dead. Freeman pointed out that strange texts were coming from Belonga's phone number, Belonga didn't make it to her son and she didn't come to an Easter gathering she was expected to be at.
Police learned the texts that seemed to be coming from Belonga's phone were actually coming from an app, which they learned was connected to Williams' phone. But Williams also denied this.
Freeman emphasized that Williams and Belonga's phones were together, and Freeman encouraged Williams to stop the lies.
Williams vehemently denied knowing where Belonga is multiple times. He said if he knew she was missing, he would've reported her missing.
After the Rusk County interview and the phone data, it showed that Williams had been in Belonga’s apartment all week long and Belonga actually picked him up from Tatum and brought him back to Tyler, Freeman testified.
"We wholeheartedly turned the case into a murder investigation," Freeman said.
Phone data showed Williams was at Belonga’s apartment all day and Belonga was at work and then her apartment. The evening of April 7, they went all around Henderson, Carthage and Tatum and they didn't stay anywhere very long. Those locations were used to see where Williams could’ve dropped off Belonga’s body, Freeman said.
Freeman said to this day investigators have not found or heard of Cory Smith (the man Williams called Belonga’s boyfriend) based on Williams' description.
Phone data led detectives to County Road 4148 in Rusk County, which was the only area where Williams and Belonga's phone stayed in one spot for an extended amount of time after leaving Tyler. The area, which is very secluded and known for pumping oil, was very flooded at the time, Freeman said.
During a second search, investigators came across an area north of State Highway 64 and near CR 4148 that had a black glove often used by mechanics, but at the time, they didn't think much of it, Freeman said. Other than the County Road 4148 area, detectives also searched areas, which were mostly oil well sites.
Freeman told the defense the data he testified about comes from phones, not people.
A search warrant on Williams' phone showed that on Dec. 4, 2022, Williams and Belonga began texting each other. Freeman also said he hadn't found any information refuting that they met in New York as Williams claimed. Freeman said data shows that Belonga's phone was left somewhere in the woods of Tatum.
Kel Miller, one of Belonga's neighbors and the person Williams claimed was his friend, said he only met Williams once when he had a drink with him and Belonga at her apartment in April 2023 at night.
He had gotten Williams’ phone number that night for the first time. There was never a conversation until that night.
Miller said he was at home all day on April 7, 2023 and he never got a call from Williams asking to hang out. Miller saw Belonga leave on April 7 for work, but he didn’t see her come back home. Williams was over at Belonga’s apartment all the time and it made it seem like they were dating.
Miller said he saw Williams running and sweating on April 7, and he didn’t know him to run. This is the last time that he saw Williams. Miller said he and Williams were cool but they weren’t friends.
He never saw Belonga come back to her apartment. He told friends, family and detectives he would let them know if he saw anything, but he never did.
Another neighbor of Belonga's testified that she was close to Belonga and Belonga would sometimes watch her daughter. She described Belonga's schedule as consistent.
The neighbor said they would talk about boys, and she said that Belonga was in non-committed relationships. Belonga introduced the neighbor to some of her "boy toys," including Williams.
The neighbor testified she heard sounds of fighting coming from Belonga’s apartment days before she was last seen.
The trial will resume Friday morning.