OAKLAND — A Bay Area man was shot and killed here just four months after being released from prison in a case where he’d been accused of raping a 17-year-old girl, court records show.
Now, police believed they know who is responsible for the Sept. 26 homicide of 47-year-old Billy Santayana Williams, who was shot and killed just minutes after hanging up the phone during an argument with his significant other. The suspect has been identified as Aaron Lamont Frazier, a 31-year-old Vallejo resident who was arrested and charged with murder on Friday, court records show.
Frazier is one of Williams’ in-laws, and was on probation for burglary at the time of the shooting. He was identified as a suspect because the shooter was seen running to a Lexus that turned out to be registered to Frazier, and police were able to track his movements that day, authorities said.
Police said the motive for the shooting had to do with the call between Williams and his wife, a Livermore resident, but authorities haven’t disclosed exactly what was stated on the call. They have said, though, that after being released from jail on May 28, Williams moved into Livermore with the woman, but threatened numerous times to rape and kill her daughter, causing tension in the household.
Related Articles
Alameda County DA Pamela Price concedes defeat in historic recall election
Fate of East Bay siblings charged with murder now in the hands of jury
Union City shooting injures two people
Oakland police investigating fatal shooting of teenager
Woman mauled by East Bay K-9 receives $1 million settlement
Williams was charged in 2021 with raping a 17-year-old girl, who told police that Williams had held her against her will at a Dublin apartment and sexually assaulted her at gunpoint. Defense attorneys argued the girl made inconsistent statements, and the case resolved last May through a plea deal that required Williams to plead no contest to possessing a Glock pistol that had been modified to shoot fully automatic. The rape charges were dropped, court records show.
The deal technically gave Williams a five-year prison term, but with good behavior the court found he’d already served his sentence. He was released from jail on May 28, nearly four months to the day before he was killed.
Family members of Williams told KCBS that he was working on a beautification project in Oakland and was eager to rebuild his life after spending years behind bars.
Williams was standing on the 3400 block of Wilson Avenue when he was fatally shot by someone who appeared to be looking for him. The suspect wore a mask and afterward ran to a nearby car to make his escape, authorities said at the time.
Frazier is being held without bail at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. He has not yet entered a plea.