'Want me to play you a violin?': Man killed wife in front of their son after she rejected reconciliation effort, taunted him

Inset: Jermaine Williams Sr. (Flagler County Sheriff's Office). Background: The Florida home outside of which Williams killed his wife (Google Maps).

A 54-year-old dad in Florida who stabbed his wife nearly 20 times in front of their teenage son — before his own father stopped the attack by holding him at gunpoint — is one step closer to being put to death after a jury recommended execution.

Jermaine Mandell Williams Sr. was convicted of first-degree murder in the Aug. 2, 2024, killing of his wife, 50-year-old Yolonda Williams. A Flagler County jury deliberated less than two hours before voting 11-1 on Wednesday to recommend that Williams be sentenced to death, court records show.

The sentencing recommendation comes nearly two years after prosecutors said Jermaine Williams launched a frenzied knife attack in the street outside the couple's home while their 14-year-old son watched in horror and tried to help.

The state attorney's office said Jermaine Williams' father, who lived nearby, happened upon the attack and drew a firearm on his own son, ordering him to stop attacking the victim. Jermaine Williams finally stepped away from Yolonda Williams, who had been stabbed 19 to 20 times.

Much of the violent attack was captured by nearby surveillance cameras.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Jermaine Williams and his wife were arguing outside their home on South Pine Street shortly after 8 a.m. Video showed Jermaine Williams briefly walk back inside the residence before returning moments later carrying an 8-inch chef's knife. He then chased Yolonda Williams into the street and repeatedly stabbed her.

Witnesses described hearing the victim scream for help as neighbors rushed toward the scene.

One witness told investigators he saw Jermaine Williams stab his wife multiple times before neighbors yelled for him to stop. Jermaine Williams eventually paused and declared, "I'm tired of this s—," according to the affidavit.

Another witness told investigators he heard someone yelling outside before finding the victim lying in the roadway. He then saw another man, later identified as Jermaine Williams' father, pointing a gun at the defendant, who was still holding the bloodied kitchen knife.

Jermaine Williams' father told investigators he witnessed his son repeatedly stabbing his wife and "yelled out to him to stop or he was going to shoot him." Officers arrived moments later and took the man into custody.

Emergency medical personnel transported Yolonda Williams to AdventHealth Palm Coast, where she was pronounced dead.

After waiving his Miranda rights, Jermaine Williams admitted retrieving the knife from the kitchen before attacking his wife.

He told detectives the couple had been fighting for weeks and that he had been sleeping in his truck in the driveway. On the morning of the killing, he said he went inside hoping to reconcile before she left for work.

Instead, he said, she rejected him. From the affidavit:

Williams stated during the argument, Yolonda made a statement to the effect of 'Poor Jermaine, do you want me to play you a violin?' Jermaine said after she said this to him, it pushed him over the edge and made him feel like he had nothing else to live for. Jermaine said he then entered the home and went into a kitchen drawer to retrieve a knife. He initially stated he 'blacked out' but added that she wouldn't have any other injuries other than stab wounds.

Medical evidence later showed the assault was brutal.

According to prosecutors, Yolonda Williams suffered 19 to 20 stab wounds. During trial, jurors also heard evidence that she fought desperately to survive, grabbing the blade as her husband stabbed her. After first responders arrived, she repeatedly said, "I can't breathe" before telling a paramedic she believed she was going to die, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reported.

The jury found Jermaine Williams guilty of first-degree murder on July 17 before returning its recommendation that he receive the death penalty.

"One step closer to making justice a reality for Yolonda Williams, her family and the citizens of the 7th Circuit," State Attorney R.J. Larizza said after the recommendation was announced. "We will continue our pursuit of the death penalty in this case and our support for the victim's family."

The recommendation, however, is not the final sentence. Under Florida law, Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols must give the jury's recommendation great weight but is not required to follow it. She will decide whether Jermaine Williams is sentenced to death or life in prison without parole after the Aug. 3 Spencer hearing.