Man Receives Life Sentence for Shooting Death of Three at Midtown Nightclub

Demontae Lavon Williams, 28, was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Friday for his involvement in a club shooting that resulted in the deaths of three individuals.

“This is yet another example of how gun violence can tear families apart,” remarked Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg. “Three young men, one of whom was a completely innocent bystander, were killed when this defendant flouted our laws and avoided every security measure put in place to protect people in that club, and a Harris County jury agreed that he deserves to spend the rest of his life behind bars.”

Williams was found guilty of capital murder by a Harris County jury following a four-day trial for the killings of Jailyn Page, 19, Bryce Lee Goddard, 21, and Christopher Donshae Jackson, 22, on October 20, 2020.

The incident occurred when Williams, along with another individual whose case is still pending, managed to bypass security and bring firearms into the club located in the 2100 block of Chenevert. A confrontation ensued with several individuals known to them from the neighborhood, leading to gunfire.

Jurors dismissed Williams’ claims of self-defense, emphasizing that he and his co-defendant had sneaked guns into the club anticipating a conflict, yet chose to escalate the situation rather than de-escalate it.

Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Meriwether, a division chief in the DA’s Trial Bureau, and Jamie Burro, a chief in the DA’s Homicide Division, prosecuted Williams.

“The young men who were killed had families that loved them and had their whole lives ahead of them,” Meriwether stated. “We’re grateful that the jury was able to see past any claim of self-defense and handed down the correct verdict for these victims and their families.”