MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The man charged with the shooting death of a beloved Memphis pastor pleaded guilty Tuesday to her murder, and will be sent home to his native Honduras, according to a spokesperson with the Shelby County District Attorney's Office.
Eduard Rodriguez Tabora pleaded guilty to second degree murder Tuesday in the death of Rev. Autura Eason Williams, who was killed in her driveway in 2022 during a carjacking attempt.
He was sentenced to 20 years in prison in the Tennessee Department of Corrections, and his information was turned over to U.S. Immigrations and Customs for deportation to his native Honduras, according to a spokesperson with the Shelby County D.A.'s Office.
Tabora was set to go on trial Sept. 30, 2024. In court on July 16, 2024, attorneys filed a motion asking for the judge to bring in a jury from Davidson County, citing local media coverage of the case. During a hearing Aug. 20, the judge denied that request, according to court records.
Tabora was indicted on two counts each of first-degree murder and a count of especially aggravated robbery. Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy said the first count of first-degree murder relates to premediated killing, while the second related to killing Eason-Williams during a robbery.
During a hearing April 22, Tabora took the stand and said he turned down a plea offer. His attorney said the offer would have meant Tabora could have been released after serving 60 years. He faces life in prison for the murder charge if convicted.
Court records show Tabora remains behind bars on $1 million bond.
The state told the court it would present evidence at trial, including an admission from Tabora, video evidence, and testimony from two teens who were charged in the case.
One of those teens, Miguel Andrade, who was 15 at the time of his arrest and charged as an adult, pleaded guilty in court Feb. 1, 2024, to a charge of second-degree murder in the killing of Dr. Eason-Williams, and carjacking in another crime which happened the same day as the murder. He was sentenced to 20 years for the murder and eight years for the carjacking charge, for a total of 28 years in prison.
A 17-year-old who was charged in the case reached a deal in January and was placed into the custody of the Tennessee Department of Children Services until age 19. Prosecutors said the boy admitted to committing delinquent acts, which included first degree murder.
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 the two teens when Eason-Williams was killed, and they stole her Infiniti. ABC24 previously learned Andrade was wearing an ankle monitor at the time of the pastor’s killing.
