A Florida man who stabbed his ex-employer, who was attempting to assist his girlfriend in leaving an abusive relationship, then buried her dead in his backyard will be imprisoned for the rest of his life.
State Attorney Melissa Nelson said in a press statement that Nathaniel Slade, 43, was found guilty on Friday of killing LaDonna Williams, 41. In September, he was convicted of second-degree murder.
Authorities said they found out from Slade’s girlfriend that he had stabbed Williams in the chest in February 2022 and made her dispose of her body in the trash can, telling her, “I had to do what I had to do,” according to the arrest report. She was treating me disrespectfully.
Prosecutors claimed during the trial that Williams slept in the leased Jacksonville house for weeks while her body was in the trash outside the window.
Brooke Milo, Assistant State Attorney for the 4th Judicial Circuit stated that he “buried her in the trash can and then slept with her body outside of his bedroom window for some period of weeks before he left the house.”
When Williams failed to reply to his birthday messages on her 41st birthday at the end of February, her son filed a missing persons report, which led to the investigation. He claimed that after that, he started getting shady texts from her phone number requesting money.
The police report stated that he was suspicious of the request and asked the sender to respond to questions concerning his personal life and youth that his mother would be aware of, but the sender was unable to do so.
“I was stressed out all the time, really,” the son stated to WJXT. “I would think about her constantly. I would look for her. I would try to ask for help.”
On April 20, 2022, her remains were located when a homeowner called the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office dispatch after discovering a box while cleaning their backyard. A trash can containing human remains was discovered by investigators.
Williams’ son stated that Slade, who performed home repairs, was under his mother’s supervision.
“I met him plenty of times,” Williams’ son stated. “I would always go to my mom’s job sites and talk to him and say, ‘hi,’ to everyone and help my mom sometimes.”
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Williams was attempting to assist Slade’s girlfriend in leaving an abusive relationship with him prior to her murder.
In a different case, Slade was already serving a life sentence for armed burglary, attempted first-degree murder, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Prosecutors said Slade was sentenced for those crimes on February 15 after entering a guilty plea to all charges on January 8.
According to Williams’ GoFundMe, she is a strong, self-reliant, and driven mother.
