BENTON, La. – An 18-year-old Bossier Parish man was sentenced Monday to serve 38 years in prison for killing a homeowner who caught him trying to burglarize his car.
Semaj Williams was originally charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Michael Hawkins, 38. However, Bossier District Judge Parker Self found Williams guilty of manslaughter in April after holding a bench trial over several days in February and March.
Williams was just 16 years old when he was arrested in October 2023 in Hawkins’ death. According to court records, Hawkins saw at least two people on his home security system, one of whom was carrying a handgun, trying to break into his car…