Living A Nightmare on ID profiles the case of Julian Williams from Augusta, Georgia, who in 2017 was lured to his death at Beech Island, SC, by Antonio Simpkins and Seven Jackson.
On March 25, 2017, the 23-year-old Julian was last seen getting into a taxi outside his apartment in Augusta. On his way to Beech Island, he was just over the state line in South Carolina, for what he thought was a date with a woman.
When Julian arrived at Beech Island, he found Simpkins waiting for him with a loaded firearm. Simpkins shot him three times before burying his remains in a shallow grave behind a trailer. His accomplice, Steven Jackson, assisted him.
The police were subsequently able to link Simpkins to Julian’s disappearance after learning that both men had been dating the same woman. Investigators determined that Simpkins had been messaging Julian under the guise of a woman looking for a date. He then managed to entice his victim to Beech Island.
Cops arrested Simpkins and Jackson a moth after murder
Representatives from Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office gathered evidence connecting Simpkins and Jackson to the murder. The pair were arrested just a month after Julian’s disappearance.
Julian’s body was located at Beech Island shortly after his killers were arrested. Julian’s father, Markeith Williams, described his son as “a good guy” and asked, “Why would somebody do something like that to him? Everybody loved him.”
The family had suffered trauma just five years previously when Julian was severely injured in a shooting but miraculously pulled through. Markeith said of that incident: “They gave him a 20% chance to live and God seen a way to bring him back. Gave me five more years.”
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelAt a trial in 2019, Simpkins pleaded not guilty but was ultimately convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Jackson was charged with kidnapping and failure to report a crime.
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Living a Nightmare airs at 10/9c on Investigation Discovery.