MEMPHIS, Tenn. — One of two teens charged with the murder of well-known and beloved Pastor Autura Eason-Williams this past summer in the driveway of her Whitehaven home will be tried as an adult. The other will stay in the custody of DCS until he turns 19.
Hearings were held Friday, Jan. 20, 2023, for 15-year-old Miguel Andrade and a 17-year-old.
The judge decided 15-year-old Miguel Andrade could be tried as an adult and was transferred on a $200,000 bond. If he posts bond, it’s under strict stipulations: GPS monitoring to school, home, and court only, alcohol and drug counseling, and a daily report on drug screening. ABC24 previously learned Andrade was wearing an ankle monitor at the time of the killing.
In the case of the 17-year-old, the state withdrew the petition for adult transfer and reached an agreement with defense to place him in the custody of DCS until age 19. They said the boy admitted to committing delinquent acts, which included first degree murder.
The adult charged in the case, 21-year-old Eduard Rodriguez Tabora, last appeared in court Wednesday, Oct. 19, where a witness and detective took the stand before a judge. The judge ruled the case would be held to state and go before a grand jury. He remains in jail on $1,000,000 bond.
Dr. Eason-Williams, District Superintendent of the United Methodist Church's Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference's Metro District, was shot and killed July 18, 2022, in the driveway of her home on Whitehaven Lane, during a carjacking.
According to a police affidavit, Tabora admitted to investigators that he was with two teens when he killed Rev. Dr. Autura Eason-Williams and stole her Infiniti.
