CHESTERFIELD TWP. (WWJ) -- A police case file has revealed new details about the brutal murder of WWJ Newsradio 950 overnight anchor Jim Matthews, and the attack on his family in their Macomb County home.
Author Williamson, 55, of Port Huron, is facing first degree murder, attempted murder and unlawful imprisonment charges in connection with the horrific incident early in the morning of Sept. 23.
According to the case file, Matthews' girlfriend, Nichole Guertin, said she was friends with Williamson, whom she called "Smokey," and that he'd called her at around 3 a.m., while Matthews was still at work on the air on WWJ.
Guertin, 35, told police that Williamson asked her if she would be up, she said yes, and he showed up at the Chesterfield Township condo — where she lived with Matthews and their two children — at around 4 a.m.
Guertin said she let Williamson in, and the two went into her bedroom to talk.
They were just friends, Guertin told police, although she told one detective they "had a relationship in the past" and another that they "had talked about dating."
Williamson brought a bag with him that night, Guertin told police, and in the bag she would later learn were zip ties, duct tape and a knife.
When Guertin told Williamson it was getting late and that her boyfriend would be home soon, she told police that her friend "went psycho and lost it."
"He said he was going to kill Jim when he got home," Guertin told a detective.
According to the case file, Guertin had been stabbed multiple places, including in the neck, and it was difficult at times for her to speak when questioned by police following the attack.
Guertin told a detective that when Matthews arrived home she heard him yelling "What the f—!" over and over. She said she heard Williamson attack Matthews with a hammer and a knife, killing him.
Guertin told detectives that, after killing Matthews, Williamson was pacing back and forth and said he "threw [his] life away for nothing," according to the case file.
Williamson then stated that he "planned all of this ahead of time," but said he didn't know why, Guertin told police.
Williamson then said that he "didn't want to die a pervert" so he was "going to sniff as much [drugs] as he could," Guertin said.
While some details were redacted, the case file revealed that there was a wooden dining room-type chair nearby where police found Williamson on a bed in a basement bedroom, unresponsive and foaming at the mouth.
There were duct tape, zip ties and phone charger cords affixed to the chair, and empty rolls of duct tape beside it.
Asked how she was able to escape, Guertin told police once Williamson was passed out, she was able to get scissors and cut herself free.
At that time, some neighbors were about to turn out of the condo parking lot when they saw Guertin run outside with her 5-year-old daughter.
She ran up to the car and said "call 911," telling the neighbors that her friend had murdered her boyfriend, and that her 10-year-old son was still in the home with the killer.
Police arrived on the scene and entered the home through a sliding door into the living room, which was a mess with the furniture askew.
Officers found Matthews dead in a "large pool of blood" in a hallway, the police report said. There was a large amount of blood on the floor and the walls, and it was clear that Matthews had suffered severe trauma to the head.
Two other officers searched the home for the boy, who was found tied up in in a closet, with a chair and other items used to barricade the door. Officers picked up the child and carried him outside, where he was treated by EMS before being taken to the hospital. Police later said the boy had suffered severe head trauma.
A third officer went downstairs to look for Williamson, finding him in a basement bedroom. He was unresponsive but breathing, according to the case file. He was foaming from the mouth, and appeared to have overdosed, police said, and had a cut to his wrist about 1 1/2 inches long.
Narcan was administered and Williamson was taken away by EMS.
An officer on the scene noted there was a paper plate with a white powdery substance and part of a straw on it, and a razor blade and a suspected crack pipe on the floor nearby. The powdery substance was field tested and confirmed to be cocaine, police said.
While searching the home, a detective found a hammer in a bedroom which had what appeared to be blood on it. The officer suspected it was the murder weapon, and it was taken as evidence. In the basement, another officer located the knife that police believe Williamson used in the attacks.
At the hospital, a detective spoke with Williamson who asked "what happened?" and said he didn't remember where he was before he was brought to the hospital. Asked if he knew Guertin, Williams said he did.
Williamson said he and Guertin were friends, were not dating and that they "just do drugs together," per the detective's report.
The detective asked Williamson if he hurt anyone. He looked away, took two deep breaths and said, "I think I need an attorney," according to the case file.
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Guertin and her daughter were also taken to the hospital. They have since been released, although the little boy remains hospitalized.
A GoFundMe has been set up by Ashley Quigley, the children's aunt, to help with the children's recovery from this tragedy.
In an update posted Tuesday, Quigley said her nephew "is getting better every day. He can walk with assistance, his brain scans are looking great, and he is able to eat and talk!"
"We have a long road ahead of us, but hopefully he will be home with us soon," Quigley said. (Read more).
Michigan Department of Corrections records show Williamson has an extensive criminal history, including a history of violence.
According to those records, Williamson was convicted and served time for drug charges, assault and battery, and breaking and entering. He was on parole for the breaking and entering conviction until January of this year.
Williamson faces mandatory life in prison without parole if he is convicted on the first degree murder charge, while the felony murder and assault with intent to murder charges carry a sentence of up to life. Unlawful imprisonment is punishable by up to 15 years in prison for each count.
He remains held in the Macomb County Jail without bond.
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