Guilty verdict reached in 2021 shooting deaths of 39-year-old Buford mother and teen son

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA – A Buford man was convicted of killing his live-in girlfriend and her teen son and leaving their bodies in a locked bedroom while trying to flee to Mexico.  

William Jerome Adams, 29, was found guilty of two counts of felony murder and two counts of aggravated assault for the March 2021 shooting deaths of Mary Lindsay, 39, and 15-year-old Atif Muhammad, Jr. Adams was ordered to serve two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office announced on Aug. 1.

“The verdict and sentence are fitting for a defendant who violently took the life of a mother and son and stole from them,” District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said. “We mourn with the victims’ family and hope that the outcome of the trial gives them some closure and justice.”

According to the investigation, on March 26, 2021, Lindsay’s oldest daughter was called to the house by her mother’s friend to check on Lindsay, who had not been heard from in several days. The 19-year-old daughter and her 15-year-old sister who was a twin of Muhammad, lived apart from their mother. The older sister had to crawl through a window to get into the house. There, she found her 8-year-old brother asleep in their mother’s bedroom. She eventually found her mother and brother dead inside a locked bedroom in the home and called police. Lindsay and Muhammad were killed on March 24, police determined, and the 8-year-old boy had been alone in the home and unaware of the deaths for two days.

Investigators found three 9mm shell casings inside the room where Lindsay and Muhammad were discovered and were able to match the shell casing to ammunition found in the master bedroom. A warrant for Adams’ arrest was placed. Within a day, Police in Laredo, Texas, called to report that Adams was arrested after he attempted to cross the border into Mexico on an assumed name and without a passport. Investigators also determined that Adams took $2,000 from Lindsay’s bank account.

During trial, Muhammad’s twin sister testified that 10 days before the shooting, the siblings discovered a 9mm Luger handgun in their mother’s room and took a picture of it. The daughter testified that when they questioned Lindsay about the weapon, the mother confirmed that it belonged to Adams.

The jury also heard testimony that Adams had a controlling nature and was abusive to Lindsay. Prosecutors presented a photo that Lindsay emailed to herself documenting an arm injury that Adams gave her.

Managing Assistant District Attorney Michele Sims and Assistant District Attorney Kevin Majeske prosecuted the case with assistance from Investigators Christina Newman and Kelly Perkins, Victim Witness Advocate Karen McKinlay, and Assistant Victim Witness Director Beth Gorski. The Laredo Police Department, the Gwinnett County Police Department and the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner’s Office provided invaluable support.

William Jerome Adams/Photo via Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office.