Houston woman kills her friend after a heated argument sentenced to 35 years
HOUSTON - Frankie Earline Williams, 32, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for shooting James Earl Harp, 34, inside her North Houston home on March 13, 2020.
Officials say Harp needed a temporary place to stay and went to Williams’ house on the 7300 block of Schuller, where Williams, her brother, and another friend stayed.
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Each of the four had known each other since high school.
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Williams and Harp got into an argument for at least an hour before she ultimately shot him, according to the District Attorney Office.
James Earl Harp leaves behind a 16-year-old daughter after being shot by Frankie Earline Williams
Authorities say after Harp was shot, Williams told her brother and her friend to load him into their pickup truck and drive him to a rural area where they buried him.
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said, "Unfortunately, we’re seeing more disputes ending in gunfire than ever before. Arguments should never be settled with a gun, and people who use their firearms with bad intentions, like in this case, will be held accountable. "
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The two men who helped Williams were 33-year-old Shannon Williams and 31-year-old Desman Tolliver.
Officials say both men pleaded guilty in 2021 for helping Williams and sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Williams cannot appeal her conviction or the sentence and must serve at least half of the time before becoming eligible for parole, according to the District Attorney Office.
Brett Batchelor, the assistant district attorney, prosecuted the case with Elizabeth Liberman, an assistant district attorney with the DA's trial bureau.
"They got into a fight over nothing that resulted in a death that didn’t have to happen," Liberman said. "She knew he was a jovial guy with a family who was not a threat to anyone, and she could have just walked away instead of doing what she did."