TYLER, Texas — The trial for a Tatum man accused of killing a Tyler woman entered its third day of testimony on Thursday.
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.
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.
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Tyler Police Department Sgt. James Freeman returned to the stand Thursday with the state showing an interview that law enforcement conducted with Williams.
In the interview, Williams said if he knew where Belonga was, he would tell the officers.
Williams told police that Belonga was with a man named Cory Smith, and when he finds out where Smith lives, he will let the police know to get them off his back.
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 who lives at Belonga's apartment complex, but he was not at the apartment.
He adamantly said he was with his friend in Tyler on that Friday, including giving a description of what the friend looked like and what he drove. Williams said he didn't see Belonga's vehicle at the apartment parking lot, adding that he believed she was at work.
Williams said he didn't have a reason to turn off his phone location because he wasn't hiding.
Belonga was headed toward Lafayette, Louisiana to pick up her son and then she was going to Mexico, Williams said.
Williams said he just knew that Belonga was still alive somewhere.
"She knew how to fight. She knew how to take care of herself," Williams said.
He told police he can look them in the eye and say that he doesn't know where Belonga is.
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. Williams denied this.
Williams told Freeman he was not putting the accusations back on someone else but he doesn't know where she's at.
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.
"I don't know where this woman is," Williams shouted.
In the interview, Williams said he went to Belonga's apartment on April 10, and later he said he was there in March for drinks. He said he was at the same apartment complex on April 7 but he didn’t see Belonga.
Williams pointed out a necklace that Belonga was wearing in a photo was a gift from him. He said the time that Belonga dropped off her car was the second time she had been to Tatum.
The language pattern of a text sent to Belonga's boss from Belonga's number was different that what Belonga would’ve sent. She normally spoke in a grammatically correct way. This made police believe that the text was sent by someone else. The slang that Williams was not consistent with Belonga, Freeman said.
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. That evening, they go all around Henderson, Carthage and Tatum and they don’t stay anywhere very long. Those locations were used to see where Williams could’ve dropped off Belonga’s body, Freeman said.
Freeman said detectives went through Belonga's work computer but they didn't anything suspicious. To this day, Freeman testified that investigators have not found or heard of a Cory Smith based on Williams' description.
Phone data led detectives to County Road 4148 in Rusk County, which was the only area that 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.
Freeman told the defense about a camera system that can track vehicles that come through the city of Tyler. He said the system was not checked for the truck that Williams claimed he drove to see a friend at the same apartment complex, where Belonga lived.
The defense said Williams' ex-girlfriend said a game camera on her Tatum property showed a blue truck that was said to be connected to Cory Smith.
Freeman 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 testified he was told that Belonga enjoyed drinking alcohol and her brother said she had some mental health issues. A friend of Belonga's said Belonga was possibly dealing with pancreatic cancer. Freeman said he hadn't found any information refuting that they meet in New York.
Interviews with Williams mention that Belonga and her boyfriend said they headed to either Mexico or New Mexico. Freeman said data shows that Belonga's phone was left somewhere in the woods of Tatum.
Freeman testified it's unknown if Belonga is dead or still missing. Despite mental health problems, Freeman said no medications were found in the apartment.
Other than the County Road 4148 in Rusk County area, detectives also searched smaller areas near Martin Lake and a few areas in Rusk and Panola counties. Most of them were oil well sites with no access due to chain or locks, Freeman testified.
Officers conducted a welfare truck for Belonga after a dog was left alone and a TV was left on, Freeman said. Pings of her phone led investigators to Tatum and Zavalla as they searched for her.
Kel Miller, one of Belonga's neighbors, testified he knew Belonga was a nice lady and they would often exchange greetings. Miller said that Belonga had a consistent schedule. He met Williams once and 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 Friday 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. Miller said he only knew Belonga to drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes, not do drugs.
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.
Miller testified he never heard any fighting from Belonga’s apartment and he didn’t hear them call each other boyfriend and girlfriend.
Another neighbor of Belonga's testified that she was close to Belonga and Belonga was also close to the neighbor's daughter, who Belonga would watch sometimes. She described Belonga's schedule as consistent.
The neighbor said they would talk about boys, and she said that Belonga was in noncommitted relationships. Belonga introduced the neighbor to some of her "boy toys," including Williams.
The neighbor testified it would be strange for Belonga to leave her dog, even to go to laundry.