TYLER, Texas — Jurors on Wednesday heard from a Tatum man accused of killing a Tyler woman in his own words through body cam video and police interviews shown in court.
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.
A Rusk County Sheriff's Office sergeant testified he responded to the report of a missing person's phone pinging on FM 1797 in the Tatum area at a trailer park. He came to find Belonga's vehicle that law enforcement was looking for at a residence.
The sergeant contacted Debby Johnson, who had the vehicle on her property, and she told the sergeant her ex-boyfriend, Williams, was watching the vehicle for someone. Williams then told the sergeant on the phone that he just spoke with Belonga, and he gave the officer a phone number. However, no one ever answered the calls.
Johnson testified she knew Williams through a dating relationship that lasted about a year and half. In March 2023, an argument over the title to a truck became physical and she called 911.
She testified that they split up shortly after that incident. Johnson told the defense that she believes that Williams is a pathological liar, someone who lies regardless of the situation.
Angelina County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Mark T. McLin testified he and Angelina County deputies served a warrant on April 12, 2023, for Williams' arrest in connection with the March 2023 incident. McLin also questioned Williams about Belonga's location and her car.
Williams told deputies that Belonga was involved in a robbery with her boyfriend. He said he was just friends with Belonga, and claimed he was feeding her dog at Belonga’s Tyler apartment. Williams said he had messaged Belonga through Facebook messenger, but she asked him to erase the messages after they were sent.
He told deputies that Belonga was in Louisiana and she left her car with him to check on her dog. Williams told police that Belonga and her boyfriend took cocaine from some Mexicans and she was headed to Mexico with the cartels after them.
Williams also told McLin that Belonga said she was going to Lafayette to help her son.
Without being asked, Williams mentioned he had a knife that had hog blood on it in his vehicle. He said he knew police would go into his vehicle and find the knife. Williams said he didn’t say it was or was not Belonga’s blood. He became argumentative with deputies when he was questioned about the knife.
“I haven’t done anything wrong,” he said.
He said Belonga wrote him a check for a job he did for her and it was dated April 10, 2023, but he never cashed the check. The warrant for his arrest happened on April 12, 2023 and he claimed he hadn’t seen Belonga in a week and a half.
Later, Williams offered to call Belonga on his phone for the police, but she didn’t answer. Williams gave a description of Belonga’s alleged boyfriend and his truck, but he also said he didn’t know the man very well.
McLin said he felt that Williams was being deceptive and he became aggravated as the questioning continued.
Tyler Police Department Sgt. James Freeman testified Williams gave him a phone number that was supposed to reach Belonga, but a call to that phone number went to voicemail. Williams later called police and Freeman encouraged him that they needed to speak directly to Belonga to prove she was OK.
The state played the conversation that Freeman and Williams had on the phone. Williams told Freeman he went to Belonga's apartment on Saturday, April 8, to check on Belonga's dog who was in the apartment.
Williams mentioned that Belonga was with her boyfriend by the name of Cory Smith. Belonga's friend Diana Riley told Freeman that she never heard of Williams or Cory Smith. Riley also said she never knew Belonga to be a drug user, but she was a heavy drinker, Freeman said.
Freeman testified another ping showed historical data that Belonga's phone was on a dead-end road in Tatum. Officers asked people if they saw Belonga or her vehicle, but no one reported seeing her or the car. Freeman said he assumes the phone was discarded somewhere in that area.
Williams called Freeman, saying Belonga's car was on the outskirts of Tyler. Williams, who said he was hog hunting, agreed to bring the car to the Tyler Police Department, but he never came.
Law enforcement learned Williams was driving Belonga's vehicle, and it was found in Zavalla. Police later learned that he went to Zavalla to be with another one of his girlfriends.
In an interview with Freeman, Williams said he knew the investigators had him there to talk about Belonga. He claimed that he’s known Belonga to use drugs. He said he warned Belonga to stay away from her boyfriend because the cartels were after him.
Williams said Belonga called him to see what he was doing. He claimed he got a check from her to pay for watching the dog. Williams said Belonga and her boyfriend had plans to go to the casino and then head toward Mexico or New Mexico.
He said “I don’t know” repeatedly when asked about Belonga’s location. He said Belonga and Williams only spoke through Facebook messenger and Snapchat. Williams said Belonga didn’t know anyone in Tatum besides Williams as far as he knew.
The trial will resume with more testimony Thursday morning at 9 a.m.