TYLER, Texas — Prosecutors claimed Tuesday that a Tatum man accused of killing a missing Tyler woman tried to commit the perfect murder, while the defense says the state doesn’t have enough to prove the murder.
The trial for Jesse Lee Williams, who is charged with murder for 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. According to an arrest affidavit, Belonga's brother told police on April 9, 2023, that she was supposed to pick up her son in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Police officers and people who knew Belonga took the stand Tuesday saying they noticed things that were uncharacteristic of her, such as not returning their calls, leaving her dog alone and not picking up her son.
Smith County Assistant District Attorney Emil Mikkelsen said in opening statements Belonga recently made Tyler her home in 2023. She had family, friends and workers that she loved. She was known as the apartment grandma to the neighborhood kids.
She would never leave her dog, who was her best friend, alone in her apartment and she would never not come into work without calling her job. Her son was left texting her and wondering what happened as she was supposed to pick him up in Louisiana on April 7, 2023.
The trail led investigators to Tatum, a place that Belonga has no connection to. Her vehicle was found at the home of a woman, who had an on-and-off relationship with Williams, and Williams provided police with a number that is supposed to be connected to Belonga, Mikkelsen said.
The text messages saying that she wanted police to leave her alone and her "friend" Williams alone didn't seem like the way Belonga would speak, according to friends.
Mikkelsen said the state will present cell phone geolocation data showing the path that Belonga's cell phone took on April 7, 2023.
Mikkelsen said Belonga's phone left Tyler, went through Henderson and then reached Tatum at the trailer park where Williams lives. The phone then moved down to Zavalla where her car was later found and the phone stayed there until around 3 a.m. Data shows that Williams' phone took the same path as Belonga's phone.
Once investigators got into Williams' phone, they found Williams searched things like, "how do I silence my gun," "dead body found Rusk County," and "how quickly does it take for a body to decompose." During a search based on Belonga's cell phone location, a search party found a bone and Belonga's necklace.
"Jesse Williams tried to commit the perfect murder, and he got pretty close," Mikkelsen said.
Defense attorney Mishae Boren said that what the prosecution has is not enough to prove that Williams killed Belonga. She said the state is asking the jury to make huge leaps in logic as the case is missing key parts of the puzzle like a crime scene, motive and a body. The defense is asking the jury to acquit Williams at the end of the trial.
Two Tyler police officers who checked on Belonga after her family expressed their concerns took the stand Tuesday. Police saw a TV on through the blinds and heard a dog barking from inside. Belonga's friends told police having the dog left alone and lights on in the apartment were abnormal.
Police learned Belonga was supposed to be picking her son in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and her phone pinged to show it was in Zavalla, which is in the direction of her destination. Police didn't think it was suspicious at the time.
On April 10, the police received a call from Belonga's friend saying Belonga was still not found at her apartment, her dog was still in the apartment alone and she hadn't come into work. People became very concerned about her whereabouts, Officer Jonathan Phillips said.
Phillips asked for another ping of Belonga's phone, which showed it to be in the Tatum area. The Rusk County Sheriff's Office was contacted and the deputies found her car at Williams' ex-girlfriend's home. Williams told officers he was watching the vehicle for someone who was out of town.
Belonga's friend Diana Riley, who knew Belonga for roughly 20 years, testified that Belonga and her son were supposed to be at an Easter Sunday (April 9, 2023) gathering Riley was hosting, but Belonga never came. The last time Riley spoke to Belonga was the Thursday before as Belonga told Riley she was going to pick her son up on Friday.
Riley tried to call Belonga when she didn't come to Easter lunch. She said it was unlike Belonga to not answer phone calls. Riley and others spent Sunday calling hospitals from Tyler to Lake Charles believing that she got into a wreck. Belonga's son said his mother never picked him up.
On April 10, 2023, Riley said she became more worried and saw that Belonga's dog was alone in the apartment, which was something Belonga wouldn't do. Riley got the apartment management to let her take Belonga's dog.
Riley testified she called police daily in the days after Belonga was reported missing.
Laura Ferguson, Belonga's manager at work, said Belonga went to work on Monday, April 3, but she called out sick the following Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afterward. Ferguson testified she didn't think Belonga was actually sick, but she thought "something was going on."
The state showed the jury a photo of Belonga with a black eye, and she told Ferguson that she got the black eye from coughing and sneezing a lot. Ferguson called Belonga and said it looked like a boyfriend struck Belonga in the eye.
Belonga came into work on Friday, April 7, and she was supposed to work on that Saturday.
Ferguson testified she received a text from Belonga's phone late Friday night that Belonga could not work Saturday, raising some red flags. Belonga texted Ferguson about she was going to pick up her son in Lafayette after there was a shootout. Ferguson texted her a few messages following up, but she never received a response back. Ferguson said she hasn't seen Belonga since she was at work on Friday, April 7.
The text about Lafayette and a shootout was not the way that Belonga speaks as she was an educated woman and she doesn't use slang terms, Ferguson said.
Belonga's mother called the corporate office of Belonga's job saying she was missing.
Ferguson, her spouse and another co-worker drove to Zavalla to look for Belonga and search any exits that her car might've gone off the road. Later on when they learned about her car being in Tatum, another group went there.
The trial will resume at 9 a.m. Wednesday.