TYLER, Texas — Jurors heard from multiple first responders Tuesday as the trial for a man accused of killing an East Texas pastor in 2021 entered its second day.
Mytrez Woolen, 25, is charged with capital murder in connection with the death of Pastor Mark McWilliams on Jan. 3, 2021, at Starrville Methodist Church in Winona. He is also accused of injuring church elder William "Mike" Sellars. The state is not seeking the death penalty for Woolen because he has a "verified mental illness."
According to an arrest affidavit, McWilliams and his wife Rosemary found Woolen hiding in the church bathroom in the morning of Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021. McWilliams told Woolen, who was holding the church's money bag, to leave the church.
Woolen rushed toward McWilliams and the two began fighting on the ground. Woolen took the gun from the pastor and shot him several times in the chest, killing the pastor.
Smith County Sheriff's Office Deputy Robert Garcia, who responded to the shooting at Starrville Methodist, remembered being prepared that he could be killed or he would have to kill someone as he was responding to an active shooter situation.
When he came into the church, Garcia said he found a man lying on the floor and a woman on her knees next to him. They were identified as Pastor McWilliams and his wife. Garcia testified that he also found multiple shell casings on the ground and preserved them until crime scene investigators arrived.
Smith County Deputy Fire Marshal Barron Wedgeworth, who was a Smith County deputy in 2021, responded to the shooting alongside Garcia and he testified that they learned the suspect, who was later identified as Woolen, had stolen a vehicle after the shooting. They worked with the owner of the stolen truck to use ONSTAR to track where the vehicle was headed. The technology showed it was going toward Longview and Marshall.
A Smith County detective testified he found a gun and keys in the ignition of the stolen vehicle after it was shut off by ONSTAR in Marshall. The vehicle was later moved via a wrecker service to be taken to a sheriff's office building for further investigation.
Another Smith County deputy testified about being one of the deputies who interacted with Woolen after his arrest. He took Woolen to the hospital because he said he had a cut on his hand. The deputy said that injury did not appear to be a gunshot wound.
After the hospital, Woolen was taken to the sheriff's office in downtown Tyler. Other than the wound on his hand, the deputy did not see any other injuries. Warrants were later obtained for Woolen's arrest and he was booked into the Smith County Jail, the deputy said.
Anthony Hernandez, UT Health EMS operational manager, testified that he responded to the scene of the church shooting and he found a deceased person, who was identified as McWilliams, with a gunshot wound to the head appearing to be the cause of death.
Hernandez recalled seeing Rosemary crying hysterically upon seeing her husband deceased and it appeared that she was in shock. He testified that a person in shock can sometimes not comprehend what's going on around them.
He testified he only interacted with Rosemary for a brief minute or two and he didn't treat her at the scene.
Paramedic Lindsay Bessette testified that Sellars told her where he was shot and the wounds that he had when she responded to the scene. She found Sellars leaning against a wall and he seemed to be "well with it." The decision was made to get him to the hospital as soon as possible.
Emily Graham, a Smith County crime scene investigator, testified there was a gunshot hole in one of the windows of the church. The state showed photos of the crime scene, showing where the cartridge casings fell to the ground.
She processed the vehicle from the pursuit on Jan. 2, 2021, before the church shooting as well as the truck that was taken after the shooting. Graham identified items in the truck as a firearm, sweater and bloody paper towels. The blood on those paper towels were swabbed for evidence.
She identified the gun found in the truck as the one that she placed in an evidence box. Graham also identified the bank bag that was located in the truck. The bag had Starrville Methodist on it when she found the bag, which had cash and coins inside.
Bullet casings were collected and marked at the scene. She photographed items found in the vehicle that Woolen had been driving on Jan. 2. The car was dusted for fingerprints but they could not get any.
The defense showed Graham the bank bag and she found a piece of trash from a cigar inside the bank bag. She testified that she had never seen that in the bag previously.
Graham testified that a crime scene is not a controlled environment. She agreed with the state that shooting at Starrville Methodist was a "completely uncontrolled" environment.
Ruby Hernandez, a forensic scientist for the Texas Department of Public Safety crime lab in Garland, testified that she screened evidence for biological and DNA materials in connection with the Starrville Methodist shooting investigation.
Kelly Clark, forensic scientist in the firearms division at Texas Department of Public Safety crime lab, testified the casings and bullets found in the church were fired with a pistol of a certain kind in her expert opinion.
Testimony will continue Wednesday morning.