TYLER, Texas — The trial for a Tatum man accused of killing a Tyler woman who went missing in April 2023 entered its fourth day on Friday.
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. She hasn’t been heard from since.
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John Stone, a former Tyler police crime scene investigator, performed the search warrant on Belonga's apartment on April 17, 2023, and he took various items in her home. Stone also took photos throughout the apartment that could be relevant to the investigation.
Stone took notice of medication with Belonga's name on it. The directions listed said to take one of the medications every eight hours and the other said to take one pill daily. A photo of a cup with what appeared to have coffee inside was taken.
A blanket with a stain that tested positive for semen was found in the apartment. Belonga's lease agreement and her passport were also found in the apartment.
The state showed body cam video of Stone and another investigator executing the search warrant. Investigators can be seen looking through the apartment. Stone testified they found a black trash bag with a blue comforter and black sheet inside, and it was taken into evidence. He noted an odor was coming from the bag.
Stains were found on the bedding that Tyler police marked for the Texas Department of Public Safety lab to test, Stone said. A checkbook was also tested for fingerprints.
Leggings that were very wet and had dirt on them were found in the hamper with dry clothes seemed different than the surrounding items. So the leggings were taken into evidence, Stone testified.
Stone told the defense he had limited knowledge of the case, and he was just told to issue the search warrant. He only knew that a person was missing. He testified a dog could've caused blankets to be moved around or stained. Stone didn't have any information about Belonga's friend taking her dog out of the apartment several days before the issuing of the warrant.
No blood or anything that appeared to be blood was found at the scene, Stone testified. Stone told the defense he saw no signs of someone forcing themselves into the apartment.
After investigators served this warrant, Stone said he did hear of Tyler police having trouble locating Belonga's son.
An official with Texas EquuSearch testified that his crew searched for human remains on County Road 4148 in Rusk County and Martin Lake. The team was looking for possible dump sites that it would be easy to drop off a human body.
During the search on the May 22 through 24, a silver necklace that appeared to be a woman's was recovered on the side of CR 4148. A Rusk County Sheriff's Office deputy on horseback found the necklace shining in the sun. The necklace had some rust, but it could be seen as a silver necklace, the official said.
The necklace was photographed and collected as evidence. Officials say there are numerous photos in which Belonga can be seen wearing a necklace identical to the one that was found.
A Tyler Police Department detective testified that she and other investigators found the necklace along the CR 4148 area in Rusk County. The state showed photos of where the necklace was located quite a distance away from the dirt road.
The detective said a standard nitrate black glove was found in the general area near the necklace.
Belonga's vehicle was brought to the Tyler Police Department Criminal Scene Investigation. The detective said there was scrape in front, and there was also smudges of dirt all over the car. She recalled testing one part of the car for potential blood, but the test came back negative.
Inside the car, the detective found a backpack with a large knife coming out of it. She conducted a swab of the knife to be tested later. Keys to Belonga's vehicle were also found with dirt on them in the backpack.
Unspent .22 long rife bullets were found inside the bag as well. A debit card with Belonga's name on it was located inside the center console of the vehicle. A red suitcase in the car had male clothing inside of it, the detective said.
The detective also found money from the Dominican Republic, cigarettes, jeans and an alcoholic drink bottle.